Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 59 Part 2.djvu/877

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1560 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OTHER THAN TREATIES [59 STAT. Article 20. The Tribunal may require to be informed of the nature of any evidence before it is offered so that it may rule upon the relevance thereof. Article 21. The Tribunal shall not require proof of facts of common knowledge but shall take judicial notice thereof. It shall also take judicial notice of official governmental documents and reports of the United Nations, including the acts and documents of the committees set up in the various allied countries for the investigation of war crimes, and the records and findings of military or other Tribunals of any of the United Nations. Article 22. The permanent seat of the Tribunal shall be in Berlin. The first meetings of the members of the Tribunal and of the Chief Prose- cutors shall be held at Berlin in a place to be designated by the Control Council for Germany. The first trial shall be held at Nuremberg, and any subsequent trials shall be held at such places as the Tri- bunal may decide. Article 23. One or more of the Chief Prosecutors may take part in the prose- cution at each Trial. The function of any Chief Prosecutor may be discharged by him personally, or by any person or persons authorised by him. The function of Counsel for a Defendant may be discharged at the Defendant's request by any Counsel professionally qualified to conduct cases before the Courts of his own country, or by any other person who may be specially authorised thereto by the Tribunal. Article 24. The proceedings at the Trial shall take the following course: (a) The Indictment shall be read in court. (b) The Tribunal shall ask each Defendant whether he pleads "guilty" or "not guilty". (c) The prosecution shall make an opening statement. (d) The Tribunal shall ask the prosecution and the defence what evidence (if any) they wish to submit to the Tribunal, and the Tribunal shall rule upon the admissibility of any such evidence. (e) The witnesses for the Prosecution shall be examined and after that the witnesses for the Defence. Thereafter such rebutting evidence as may be held by the Tribunal to be admissible shall be called by either the Prosecution or the Defence. (f) The Tribunal may put any question to any witness and to any Defendant, at any time. (g) The Prosecution and the Defence shall interrogate and may cross-examine any witnesses and any Defendant who gives testimony.