Metadata: Documents and reports of the Central Documentation department of the Auditoraat-Generaal (known as “Jans documents”)
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 1418
- Title:
- Documents and reports of the Central Documentation department of the Auditoraat-Generaal (known as “Jans documents”)
- Title (official language):
- Documenten en verslagen van de Centrale Documentatiedienst van het Auditoraat-Generaal (zgn. Documenten Jans)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Auditoraat-Generaal [bij het Militair Gerechtshof]; Auditorat-Général [près la Cour Militaire]
- Date(s):
- 1940/1944
- Language:
- German
- French
- Dutch; Flemish
- Extent:
- 383 folders
- Scope and content:
- The so-called “Documenten Jans” mainly contain files concerning collaboration movements, generally consisting of copies of original documents such as internal documents, lists, circulars but also documentation material (periodicals, press clippings). For this guide, we note a number of files on anti-Semitic organisations – see i.a. no. 60 (Volksverwering), no. 226 (Épuration) and no. 304 (Deutscher Fichte-Bund).
- 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
- Finding aids:
- A.C, Documents Jans, Brussel, CEGESOMA, 1973 (list AA 1418). The fonds is also described in the database of the CEGESOMA.
- 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
