Universal jurisdiction
Trying people wherever they are, whatever their nationality
Universal jurisdiction enables national judicial systems to try individuals, regardless of their nationality or the place where the crimes were committed. This justice approach deals with international crimes committed a long time ago, as during the civil wars in Liberia, or when no other jurisdiction, international or national, is able or willing to try them,, as in the case of Syria. As with the trials of Rwandans in several European countries (for genocide), the trial of Gambian Ousman Sonko (accused of crimes against humanity in Switzerland) or of Chadian Hissein Habré, tried and convicted in Senegal (for crimes committed in Chad in the 1980s). Discover universal jurisdiction through the news documented by our experts.
Witnesses defect from the Nkunduwimye trial
The Brussels Assize Court, which is currently trying Belgian-Rwandan Emmanuel Nkunduwimye for genocide, is facing a major defection of witnesses. The latest is Paul Rusesabagina, former manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali in 1994, who has finally refused to appear. Around a third of witnesses called failed to turn up, including at […]
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