Evidence documents added to the trial documents concerning cases of collaboration with the occupying authorities

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society

Holding institution (official language):: Centre d’Études et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés Contemporaines

Postal address:: Luchtvaartsquare 29 / Square de l’Aviation 29, 1070 Bruxelles (Anderlecht)

Phone number:: +32 (0)2 556 92 11

Web address:: http://www.cegesoma.be/

Email:: cegesoma@cegesoma.be

Reference number:: CHRDWConS-Brussels-AA 1522, AA 1314

Title:: Evidence documents added to the trial documents concerning cases of collaboration with the occupying authorities

Title (official language):: Overtuigingsstukken gevoegd bij de procesbundels betreffende gevallen van collaboratie met de bezettende overheden

Creator/accumulator:: Auditoraat-Generaal [bij het Militair Gerechtshof]; Auditorat-Général [près la Cour Militaire]

Date(s):: 1910/1949

Date note:: ca. 1910s – 1940s

Language:: French; Dutch; Flemish; German

Extent:: 119 bundles and binders

Scope and content:: This fonds is incredibly rich. It is composed of files assembled by the services of the Auditoraat-Generaal, regarding German and collaborating organisations and individuals, and serving as evidence at the respective trials. Often they contain original material, confiscated by the Belgian judiciary. The files that are most relevant to this guide, namely those forming the ‘Beeckmans archives’ (nos. 350-500) as well as the nos. 92 and 173-178 (concerning Lode Welter, Emiel Francken and the Anti-Joods front) are described in separate descriptions in this guide. Apart from these ‘collections’ (combined afterwards by the archivists), we find in this fonds a number of files concerning antisemitism and the persecution of the Jews. See i.a. file no. 156 (including a list of Jews in ‘s Gravenbrakel), no. 171 (documentation on “Jews and Freemasons”, from the trial against the periodicals Cassandre and Le Nouveau Journal) as well as no. 513 (concerning the Devisenschutzkommando).

Administrative/biographical history:: Already in the Dutch period, the Krijgsauditoraat (Military Prosecutor’s Office)(1814-2003) operated as the military counterpart of the Openbaar Ministerie (Public Prosecutor’s Office). After the independence of Belgium, the auditeur-generaal continued to represent the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Militair Gerechtshof (‘Military Court’)(as well as at the krijgsraden or court-martials, for a long time). The competences of the Auditoraat-Generaal were therefore similar to those of the civilian prosecutor’s offices, but adapted to military justice: among others, supervision of the general criminal and prosecution policy, supervision of the military prosecutor’s offices and court clerks, … The Auditoraat-Generaal was assisted by a First Advocate-General as well as several Advocates-General and substitutes. The services of the Auditoraat-Generaal comprised, besides a secretariat, library, logistics and personnel services also different sections competent in criminal matters, as well as an efficient documentation service. By virtue of the law of 10 April 2003, the Auditoraat-Generaal was abolished in peacetime. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has taken over its duties. After the Second World War, the Auditoraat-Generaal played an important role notably in identifying and prosecuting collaborators, and in documenting war crimes committed on Belgian territory. (R. Depoortere, La juridiction militaire en Belgique 1796-1998. Compétences et organisation, production et conservation des archives, Miscellanea Archivistica Studia no. 115, Brussel, ARA-AGR, 1999; K. Velle & P. Drossens, “De rechterlijke macht”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 619-650.)

Access points: locations:: Belgium

Access points: persons/families:: Francken, Emiel; Welter, Lode

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Freemasons; Holocaust

Finding aids:: Lists AA 1522 and AA 1314. The fonds is also described in the database of the CEGESOMA. Some series of files relating to the same case, person or organisation were described by a separate finding aid.

Links to finding aids:: http://pallas.cegesoma.be/pls/opac/plsp.getplsdoc?lan=N&htdoc=general/opac.htm

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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