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.
"For the first time, torture committed by the Assad regime will be discussed in a court"
The world’s first trial on state torture in Syria starts today, April 23, in Koblenz, Germany. The main accused, Colonel Anwar Raslan, is the first official of the Syrian intelligence services to go on trial, charged with complicity in crimes against humanity. When he was head of the investigative section at the infamous “Al-Khattib” branch […]
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