Roger Smith examines human rights issues at home & away
As we consider David Cameron’s big speech on the European Union, it may be worth reflecting on how the pressures between domestic and international forces are reflected elsewhere in the legal system.
Universal jurisdiction
The idea of an international and universal jurisdiction over particularly heinous crimes against humanity is a legacy of the Second World War. General Pinochet managed to escape by the skin of his teeth and a somewhat indulgent view of his health by Jack Straw. However, we now have the second prosecution of somewhat lesser fry.
Colonel Kumar Lama has been charged with torture in relation to events in a Nepalese barracks while visiting his wife on the south coast over Christmas. Somewhat ironically, Colonel Lama’s current job is as a UN peacekeeper and he was expected to return to South Sudan in the New Year. However, events from his past caught up with him and Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, was persuaded to charge him with torture under s 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, a crime
