British government proposes amendment to universal jurisdiction law

Amplify’d from israelmatzav.blogspot.com

British government proposes amendment to universal jurisdiction law

The British government has proposed to amend its universal jurisdiction law to require the approval of a top prosecutor in order to arrest a foreign official. Visiting foreign officials suspected of war crimes can only be arrested [in the UK] with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, under proposed new laws in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility bill. The aim is to stop politically motivated campaign groups from successfully applying to the UK courts for war crimes arrest warrants in private prosecutions. The move follows the outcry over attempts to detain high-profile figures intending to travel to London, including Tzipi Livni, the former Israeli foreign minister. But Amnesty International warned the move would give suspect war criminals a "free ticket to escape the law". ... A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the measure was designed to ensure the so-called universal jurisdiction cases were proceeded with only where there was a prospect of a successful prosecution. I'll believe it when it passes. Read more at israelmatzav.blogspot.com

 

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