Universal Jurisdiction: movement to end the French exception?
On May 12, 2023, the Court of Cassation made up for its faux-pas of November 24, 2021, when it ruled that crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime could not be punished in France because they were not punishable under Syrian law.
Sensitive to the outcry provoked by this decision, which surprisingly saw the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs join NGOs and the public prosecutor's office join opposition to the ruling led by the International Federation for Human Rights, a plenary session of the Court of Cassation overturned the court’s own November 2021 decision. It finally gives the green light to the resumption of proceedings initiated by the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office against Syrians living in France and suspected of having taken part in the regime's crimes.… Seguir leyendo »