AI: "Venezuela is a safe haven for foreigners who are responsible for genocide"

[naaman fletcher]

If Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, who was charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with several counts of genocide against different tribes of his country settled in the Darfur region, decided to accept the invitation from Venezuelan Head of State Hugo Chávez, who invited al-Bashir to come to Venezuela in 2009, the African ruler would find a "safe haven" in the South American country not only because Chávez' government has rejected the case against him, but due to the lack of legislation to punish this serious crime.

To prevent this hypothetical scenario or any other from happening, Amnesty International made a series of recommendations to authorities that were compiled in a report on Venezuela entitled: End Impunity through Universal Jurisdiction.

In a 140-page paper, the human-rights watchdog asked the National Assembly to amend the Criminal Code or adopt a special law to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and extrajudicial executions, as well as legislate to ensure the exercise by "Venezuelan courts of universal jurisdiction over these crimes."

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/11/22/en_pol_esp_ai:-venezuela-is-a_22A4760451.shtml

[Billy Burnett]

1. Where's AI's "report" on Miami? eom

[dipsydoodle]

2. End Impunity through Universal Jurisdiction

Well that should sort Bushy Boy for starters. That would keep them busy for a while.

[struggle4progress]

3. Germany: End Impunity through Universal Jurisdiction

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR23/003/2008/en

[struggle4progress]

4. Sweden: End Impunity Through Universal Jurisdiction

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR42/001/2009/en

[struggle4progress]

5. ... Most states still have not enacted any legislation permitting their courts to exercise universal

jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, extrajudicial executions or ''disappearances''. All the universal legislation which does exist could be improved ...
Universal Jurisdiction: The duty of states to enact and enforce legislation
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/IOR53/017/2001/en/3c6e7c7b-d8ef-11dd-ad8c-f3d4445c118e/ior530172001en.html