Dutch to close the net on old genocide suspects

Dutch to close the net on old genocide suspects

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Jeudi, 10 Novembre 2011

The Netherlands is striving to close the net on old genocide cases and alleged mass killers. The Dutch parliament on Thursday approved a bill that will extend the possibility of detecting and prosecuting genocide. The bill - which will now go to the Senate - allows the Netherlands to better address genocide and war crimes suspects retroactively and to work closer with international criminal courts. The proposed bill stipulates that cases dating back as far as 1966 could be dealt with. At present, the Netherlands has sufficient jurisdiction to prosecute foreigners suspected of international crimes, including genocide. But that law applies only to crimes committed after 1 October 2003. For older cases, the Dutch Genocide Convention Implementation Act applies, whose jurisdiction is limited. This has attracted hundreds of people accused of serious atrocities to settle in the Netherlands in the belief that they would be protected from legal action. It has given the Netherlands an image as a safe haven for such people. Full Story>>>>