Amsterdam Law Forum (Aug 2011)
Law and politics of universal jurisdiction
Abstract
<pre style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; line-height: 0.35cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Universal jurisdiction is </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB">where international law and international politics walk together on a thin line between their respective worlds. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Yet, while m</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">uch has been writte</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">n</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> about</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">legal aspects </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">of this controversial legal concept,</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">i</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">ts political implications remain largely under-researched. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This article explores t</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">wo cases where the interplay between law and politics has led to strikingly opposite results: </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">the </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">case of Spain and Augusto Pinochet, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">where</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> a state </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">has been</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> shamed into compliance through the exercise of universal jurisdiction by another </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">country ('</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Pinochet </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">e</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">ffect</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">')</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">; </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">and the one</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> of Belgium and United States, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">where </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">a state </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">has been</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> shamed to change its laws </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">through</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> the exercise of universal jurisdiction by its own courts </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">('</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Rumsfeld effect</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">')</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This article identifies the key aspects of the two model cases by creating a kind of a check-list aiming </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">to simplify the testing of the presence of the Pinochet and Rumsfeld effect in other cases based on universal jurisdiction. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The article equally introduces</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"> a first testing of </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">the presence of said effects </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">on the prosecution of the former Chadian dictator </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Hiss</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">è</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">ne Habr</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Garamond-Normal,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">é.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></pre>
