Spain Seeks to Curb Law Allowing Judges to Pursue Cases Globally

[alp227]

Source: NYT

MADRID — For nearly two decades, Spanish judges have been the provocateurs of international criminal law, pursuing human rights cases against Argentine military officers, Israeli defense officials or American soldiers in Iraq. Most famously, a Spanish judge opened the case that led to the arrest of the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet.

The product of crusading judges who sought to apply international human rights standards to many of the world’s most powerful figures, these cases have only rarely, if ever, resulted in prosecutions in Spain. But they have influenced cases in other countries, notably Argentina, and are an undeniable nuisance for anyone named in an international warrant. They have also complicated diplomacy in unpredictable ways.

Which brings up China. On Monday afternoon, Spain’s National Court ordered international warrants for China’s former President Jiang Zemin and former Prime Minister Li Peng as part of a case about alleged human rights abuses in Tibet. Infuriated, Chinese diplomats are pressuring the Spanish government to stop the prosecution.

On Tuesday, Spain’s Parliament is expected to debate and eventually approve a bill that would do exactly that. Legal experts say the legislation put forward by the governing Popular Party in January would force the dismissal of the China case and would sharply reduce the scope of the national law that has allowed Spanish judges to pursue human rights cases around the world.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/world/europe/spanish-legislators-seek-new-limits-on-universal-jurisdiction-law.html

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Judge Baltasar Garzón is known for indicting Pinochet as well as seeking human rights charges against Bush administration officials. He's now representing Julian Assange.

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[cinnabonbon]

2. Not good.

The more they try to curb laws like that, the less possible it will be for indigenous populations in the Americas to sue large corporations for poisoning their water supply, or oil leaks, or.... It will be harder to send war criminals to trial.

[ck4829]

3. And we would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling magistrates

You should be real glad, Spanish Parliament; despots, government sponsored rapists, and murderers from military sources the world over are thanking you guys...

[itcfish]

5. The PP Party is Just Covering their Own Arses

The Spanish judges are going after the criminals of the Franco regime in Argentina since the PP Party will not allow them to do so in Spain. In has nothing to do with China or any other nation, it has to do with covering up the Franco Era murders and the theft of of many children.

[PeoViejo]

4. Bush and Cheney on an International Arrest Warrant

Now, that's precious.

If you can't throw them in prison, at least their freedom of movement is restricted.