Universal jurisdiction
Trying people wherever they are, whatever their nationality
More and more countries are implementing so-called "universal jurisdiction" laws, which allow national justice systems to try individuals regardless of their nationality and regardless of where the crimes were committed. This is particularly useful for international crimes that were committed a long time ago (such as during the civil wars in Liberia) or for those that no other jurisdiction, international or in the country where the crimes were committed, is able or willing to try (as in the case of Syria).
Universal jurisdiction: what can Belgian justice bring for Guatemalan victims?
In the early 1980s, three Belgian missionaries were killed and disappeared in Guatemala. More than 40 years after the crimes took place, on June 14 a Belgian court has ordered the arrest of five former high-level Guatemalan government officials for these crimes. At a moment when obtaining justice in Guatemala is increasingly unlikely, how can […]
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