Amnesty International called on France on Monday (June 27) to amend its law on crimes against humanity committed abroad to ensure that France brings to justice potential war criminals in Ukraine or Syria, among others, and does not become a country.impunity“.
“We need a change in the law, a review of the law and to remove these locks, to return to universal jurisdiction compatible with France’s obligations.Jeanne Sulzer, a lawyer at Amnesty International France, urged me at the press conference. In 2010, the translation of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) introduced into French law several conditions limiting France’s universal jurisdiction. To date, French justice can only take action if the perpetrator or victim of a war crime abroad is French, or if the perpetrator has his or her habitual residence in the national territory. The law of the country where these crimes were committed must recognize war crimes and crimes against humanity. Only the Prosecutor’s Office can initiate proceedings, and it must first ensure that there is no prosecution by the ICC or another competent state. “These locks are a guarantee of impunity before the French courts for these most serious crimesMe Sulzer insisted.
“Ukraine is unable to investigate all these war crimes»
To date, 7 investigations have been opened in Paris regarding possible war crimes against the French in Ukraine. According to Oksana Pokalchuk, CEO of Kyiv NGO, “realize that France, which has sent police and gendarmes to Ukraine to collect evidence, could become a haven for war criminals, because the extreme reluctance of its texts to bring to justice the perpetrators of international crimes in France is incomprehensible and surprising.“. According to the UN, as of June 15, 4,500 civilians were killed in Ukraine. “Ukraine is unable to investigate all these war crimes. It is important for France to be able to carry out high-quality investigations“He added, believing that the French investigation could be.”message for many countriesabout what is happening in Ukraine. “We must continue to fight against impunity and impunityMarzen Darwish, director general of the Syrian Media and Human Rights Center, added:
In November, the Court of Cassation ruled that French justice lacked jurisdiction over the former soldier of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, who was prosecuted for complicity in crimes against humanity. This decision caused an earthquake in the judicial world and human rights organizations. France’s highest court may review the case in the coming months.
Source: Le Figaro
