Britannia Radio

Spain Changes Tack on Universal Jurisdiction

From the desk of Soeren Kern on Mon, 2009-06-01 10:40

The Spanish Parliament has approved a resolution urging Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to limit the power of judges to prosecute people for atrocities and human rights crimes committed abroad under the concept of universal jurisdiction. Spanish law currently enables investigators to probe alleged human rights crimes regardless of where they are committed or where the defendants live. The nonbinding proposal calls on the government to reform the law, which is the most far-reaching in Europe, so that judges may only probe such cases if they involve Spanish victims or if the alleged offenders are found to be in Spain.

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Duly Noted: Distortions, lies and history

From the desk of George Handlery on Sat, 2009-05-30 12:04

George Handlery about the week that was. Legislating a face lifted past. Surprise: Bush wanted rogue states with nukes. Protect ships or fight piracy. What to do if conventional sanctions fail? What Baby Kim is really testing. Aggressiveness pays. Continued chaos, its beneficiaries and Near Eastern peace.
 
1. As an anticipatory kowtow to third world sensibilities prior to their articulation, some countries consider sending forces to” protect” high-sea shipping. The terminology implies that attacks are to be reacted to in ways that make pirates retreat without needing to harm them. The implication is that when such actions dissuade perpetrators from completing their attacks, strikes will be postponed to be repeated once the conditions are more favorable. This means, like in the case of the slap-on-the-hand persecution of domestic crime, that an alternative future victim is created.

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