Ben Ferencz

What a truly sad day it was, when we heard of the passing of the honorable Ben Ferencz. On behalf of the entire team and justice aficionados at the Swiss Mission to the United Nations, I would like to offer my sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to his family. Ben Ferencz dedicated his life to replace the “rule of force with the rule of law” and for this, we are truly forever grateful. Thank you for your passion, thank you for your personal determination and thank you for your courage. You are and always will be an inspiration to us all.

Dear Ben, I never got to know you as much as I would have wanted, but your greatness, your brilliance, your humanism, your humility and your indiscriminate kindness were always obvious to everyone who came within a mile of you. Your refusal to give up revealed a boundless faith in humanity that was both unjustified by your life experience and unmerited by humans. We could use so many more of you, but instead have one less, never to be replaced. May you rest in eternal peace.

H.E. Ms. Katerina Sequensova, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Ms. Martina Filippiova, legal adviser at the Embassy, would like to express deep condolences on the passing of Mr. Benjamin Ferencz to the family. Mr. Ferencz was one of the foremost advocates for the establishment of a permanent international criminal court and true inspiration for many lawyers all around the world. Mr. Ferencz’s lifelong commitment to the cause of international criminal justice will be duly remembered.

I am so privileged to have gotten to know Ben. He was a truly inspirational figure to so many of us. His vision was crucial in inspiring the conclusion of the definition of the crime of aggression, yet we also know he was disappointed with the limited jurisdictional regime of the crime in the Rome Statute. We have much more to do to complete what Ben would have wanted. He was truly a national treasure and one of the great luminaries of international law. I will very much miss him.

It is with deep sadness that I convey sincere condolences, as representative of the Republic of the Philippines, on the passing of Mr. Benjamin Ferencz, an advocate for the rule of law and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. His legacy as a credible prosecutor at the Nuremberg Crimes Trials will always be remembered. He has staunchly asserted that the ‘spirit of Nuremberg lives on,’ despite obstacles. ‘It is increasingly recognized that international disputes can and must be settled without the use of armed might,’ he said. In the community of peace-loving nations, his message, as someone who lived through the evils and inhumanities of war, will continue to resonate: that the best way to serve humanity is to eliminate warmaking itself and that – 'law is always better than war.'

Dear Ben, yours was a life of selfless service and courage with true impact and import. What a blessing for humanity and what an extraordinary example you have been. You are the embodiment of moral stature. Rest in peace after a long exemplary life.

Dear Ben, From the first day we met, you were an inspiration to me and us young Germans in Rome. Your passion for justice but also peace, reconciliation and forgiveness was unparalleled. Your dignity in promoting my countries’ leadership role on international justice after your own and your families’ suffering at its very hands and your constant reminder that ‘Never Again’ is not just a mere slogan but a daily responsibility to be met set lasting examples for my career and my personal life. You made it easy for us young Germans to be on the right side of history. Thank you for this. And thank you for your legacy, which will leave on in all of us. No Peace Without Justice. No Justice without Ben. You will be thoroughly missed. Rest In Peace Ben. Hansjoerg

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Mr. Benjamin B. Ferencz. On behalf of the entire team of the Polish Mission to the United Nations and my own, I would like to offer our deepest condolences. We bid farewell to the great man, exceptional lawyer, scholar, former prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials whose life’s goal was to replace the “rule of force with the rule of law”. At this hour of mourning our sympathies go to his family and friends. May he rest in Peace.