Bernard Victor Aloysius "Bert" Röling(26 December 1906 – 16 March 1985)[1]was a Dutchjuristand founding father ofpolemologyin the Netherlands. Between 1946 and 1948 he acted as the Dutch representative for theInternational Military Tribunal for the Far East.
Bert Röling | |
|---|---|
 Bert Röling in 1972 | |
| Born | Bernard Victor Aloysius Röling 26 December 1906 's-Hertogenbosch,Netherlands |
| Died | 16 March 1985(aged 78) Groningen,Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | Radboud University Nijmegen,Utrecht University |
| Occupation(s) | Jurist,Professor of law |
| Years active | 1933–1977 |
Childhood and education
edit
Röling was born in's-Hertogenboschas a son of journalist Gerardus Röling and Christina Maria Dorothea Taverne. He had an older brother, the painterGé Röling.[citation needed]
Röling studied law atRadboud University NijmegenandUtrecht University.At the latter he graduatedcum laudein 1933 with his dissertationDe wetgeving tegen de zogenaamde beroeps- en gewoontemisdadigers( "Legislation against so-called professional and habitual criminals" ), awarded a prize by theUniversity of Groningen.[citation needed]
Career
editRöling started teaching inUtrechtthe same year and founded the Institute for Criminology in 1934 together with Willem Pompe.[citation needed]
In 1946 Röling was appointed member of theInternational Military Tribunal for the Far East.In deliberations with judges from ten other countries, he dissented from the tribunal's verdict that convicted Japan as aggressor. His views were shared by fellow judgeRadhabinod PalfromIndia.[2]However, under the rules of the tribunal, all verdicts and sentences were decided by amajorityof the presiding judges.[citation needed]
In 1950 Röling was appointed professor at theUniversity of Groningenwhere he founded the Institute for Polemology in 1962. He retired from academic life in 1977 yet remained active for the Institute until his death in 1985.[citation needed]
Publications
edit- The Tokyo Trial and beyond. Reflections of a peacemonger.Ed. and with an introd. by Antonio Cassese. Cambridge, Polity Press, 1993.ISBN0-7456-1006-4
- Völkerrecht und Friedenswissenschaft.(Carl-von-Ossietzky-Vorlesung) Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 1974
- Polemologie. Een inleiding tot de wetenschap van oorlog en vrede.Assen, Van Gorcum 1973.ISBN90-232-1076-X
- The Tokyo judgement.APA Univ. Press Amsterdam 1977,ISBN90-6042-040-3.
- The 1974 U.N. definition of aggression.In: Antonio Cassese:The current legal regulation of the use of force.Nijhoff, Dordrecht 1986,ISBN90-247-3247-6,p. 413–421.
- Crimes against peace.In: Antonio Cassese:The current legal regulation of the use of force.Nijhoff, Dordrecht 1986,ISBN90-247-3247-6,p. 385–394.
Family
editBert Röling is the father of professor of architectureWiek Rölingand of painterMatthijs Rölingas well as the uncle of artistMarte Röling.[3]Hugo Röling, another son, wrote a book about his father during the period as judge at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.[4]
In popular culture
edit- Röling's experiences during the Tokyo Trials acted as inspiration for the novelDe Offers(The Sacrifices) of writerKees van Beijnum.In the novel the judge is called Rem Brink.[5]On 14 December 2014, the Dutch daily newspaper,De Volkskrant,revealed that the author made several changes to his book ahead of publication to accommodate the grievances of judge Röling's son and dubbed the controversy "the literary scandal of 2014".[6]
- Röling was portrayed by Dutch actorMarcel Hensemain the 2016NHKminiseriesTokyo Trial.
References
edit- ^"Catalogus Professorum Academiae Groninganae, Bernard Victor Aloysius Röling, (1906–1985)".hoogleraren.ub.rug.nl.Retrieved9 February2018.
- ^"Bert Röling. Tegen de keer".Biografieportaal.Retrieved9 February2018.
- ^"Wiek Röling 1936 – 2011".wimdewagt.nl(in Dutch).Retrieved31 May2019.
- ^"Hugo Röling:De rechter die geen ontzag had. Bert Röling en het Tokiotribunaal.Amsterdam, Wereldbibliotheek, 2014. ISBN 9789028425965 ".wereldbibliotheek.nl.Archived fromthe originalon 13 February 2015.Retrieved9 February2018.
- ^"Controverse over oud-rechter".NRC Handelsblad.Retrieved9 February2018.
- ^'I would not begrudge Van Beijnum some damage to his reputation' Volkskrant, 13 December 2014 (in Dutch), retrieved 19-01-2019