D-day over Sharon case
UN | 26.06.2002 12:06
A BELGIAN court was today due to decide whether the country has jurisdiction to investigate war crimes charges against Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon
D-day over Sharon case
A BELGIAN court was today due to decide whether the country has jurisdiction to investigate war crimes charges against Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon related to a 1982 massacre in two Palestinian refugee camps.
If the appeals court allows the case to proceed, an investigation into Mr Sharon’s role could lead to a possible arrest warrant and trial.
Lawyers for 23 Palestinian survivors said they were optimistic Mr Sharon would be tried under a Belgian law that lets anyone file charges for war crimes no matter where they occurred
A BELGIAN court was today due to decide whether the country has jurisdiction to investigate war crimes charges against Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon related to a 1982 massacre in two Palestinian refugee camps.
If the appeals court allows the case to proceed, an investigation into Mr Sharon’s role could lead to a possible arrest warrant and trial.
Lawyers for 23 Palestinian survivors said they were optimistic Mr Sharon would be tried under a Belgian law that lets anyone file charges for war crimes no matter where they occurred
UN
Comments
Hide the following comment
Belgian court drops war crimes case against P
26.06.2002 12:15
The three-judge panel, sitting in Brussels, said a case could not proceed against a person who is not in Belgium, despite a 1993 Belgian law granting Belgian courts "universal jurisdiction" over war crimes committed anywhere.
"If a person is not found on the territory, we find it inadmissible," the court said in its 22-page ruling.
The decision to throw out the case means Sharon can come to Belgium without fear of potential arrest, since a warrant can be issued only after an investigation, lawyers said.
Daniel Shek, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official who attended the proceedings, welcomed the decision.
"A trial that began with more politics than law happily ends with more law than politics," Shek said outside the courtroom. "We from the beginning trusted the Belgian courts, and I am happy that we were not disappointed."
UN