The German military courts in occupied Belgium (1940-1944)

One of the aspects with which the German repression in Belgium is associated is the arrest of large groups of members of the resistance and enemies of the state. Yet the arrest by German police forces such as the Geheime Feldpolizei, the Feldgendarmerie and the Sicherheitspolizei-Sicherheitsdienst was only the beginning of the suffering of the captured. A lot of prisoners were to be sentenced by a German court, before being sent to a German prison in Belgium or to a concentration camp. In this project, an analysis will be made of the existing legislation and the German regulations. What legal means were at the disposal of a German judge to punish delinquent behaviour? Next, the relationship between the context of the occupation and the law which was administered by German courts will be examined.

Dimitri Roden successfully defended his PhD on 12 June 2015 under the title ‘In de naam van het Duitse volk! Het Duitse krijgsgerecht en de openbare orde in bezet België (1940-1944)’.

Since 1st April 2016, he has been working as postdoctoral researcher within the network.