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.
Universal Jurisdiction: movement to end the French exception?
In France, the Court of Cassation lifted two major constraints on universal jurisdiction on May 12. At the end of May, however, during negotiations on an international cooperation treaty in Ljubjana, Paris showed its concern to preserve the precedence of politics over law. But it had to back down, and the presidential majority has just […]
Read more
