(Brussels, January 22, 2003)
Today's vote by the Justice Commission of the Belgian Senate should give an important impetus to the international prosecution of the worst human rights crimes, six leading human rights organizations said today. The Commission approved amendments to preserve Belgium's landmark anti-atrocity law.
"Laws like this one are essential to overcome the walls of immunity behind which tyrants and torturers brutalize people in their own countries."
Amnesty International Belgium, the Ligue Belge des Droits de l'Homme, Liga voor Mensenrechten, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), Human Rights Watch and Avocats sans Frontières
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The Belgian law, which permits prosecutions in Belgium for atrocities committed abroad, has been severely curtailed by restrictive judicial decisions. The amendments passed today would restore the law to its original scope. They must still be adopted by the full Senate and the Assembly before Parliament dissolves in April.
"The Belgian law is part of a growing trend towards accountability for atrocities," said Amnesty International Belgium, the Ligue Belge des Droits de l'Homme, Liga voor Mensenrechten, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), Human Rights Watch and Avocats sans Frontières. "Laws like this one are essential to overcome the walls of immunity behind which tyrants and torturers brutalize people in their own countries."
A 1993 law, amended in 1999, gives Belgian courts the authority to prosecute persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes abroad. A Human Rights Watch Backgrounder on the Belgian law is available here.
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