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.
“We will follow them wherever they will go”
Renowned Syrian lawyer Anwar al-Bunni and his colleagues at the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research have been leading figures in Syrian efforts for justice. In Europe, they have initiated, with other organizations, universal jurisdiction proceedings against about sixty people allegedly responsible for crimes committed under Bashar al-Assad. After the latter’s fall, al-Bunni answers […]
Read more
