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Read the Full Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2020 Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2020 Terrorism and international crimes: prosecuting atrocities for what they are #UJAR In collaboration with Cover: A boy walks through a street near his home in Qayyarah (Iraq, 2016) © Nicole Tung Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2020 Terrorism and international crimes: prosecuting atrocities for what they are #UJAR This publication benefited from the generous support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Oak Foundation, the City of Geneva, REDRESS, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights. TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 METHODOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7 FOREWORD 9 THE SIMPLE WAY OUT? WHY INTERNATIONAL CRIMES MUST NOT BE PROSECUTED AS TERRORISM 13 KEY FINDINGS 15 CASES OF 2019 17 ARGENTINA 17 Demand for justice swells over the crimes of Franco’s regime Rodolfo Martín Villa and others 19 Rohingya people demand justice over genocide Aung San Suu Kyi and others 20 Investigation continues against Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman 21 AUSTRIA 21 Retrial for war crimes in Syria delayed Name withheld 22 Syrian intelligence services under investigation Names withheld 23 BELGIUM 23 Genocidaire convicted for the murder of a Belgian citizen and her family Fabien Neretsé 24 Two alleged Interahamwe members due for trial in 2020 Ernest Gakwaya and Emmanuel Nkunduwimye 25 President of the Senate investigated for orchestrating a plane crash Alexis Thambwe Mwamba 26 Still no trial for Liberian frontline commander Martina Johnson 27 FINLAND 27 War crimes conviction for the desecration of a dead body Ahmed Jabbar Hasan 28 Overcoming challenges of witnesses’ remote location The Iraqi twin brothers 29 FRANCE 29 Historical move against al-Assad’s regime Abdulhamid A. 30 Witnesses come forward against high-ranking Syrian ofcials Ali Mamluk; Jamil Hassan; Abdel Salam Mahmoud 31 Relatives receive compensation while investigations go on The Rémi Ochlik, Marie Colvin and Edith Bouvier investigations 32 NGOs sidelined as cement company indictment is confirmed Lafarge - Eric Olsen and others 34 French bank investigated for financing atrocities in Sudan BNP Paribas 35 Former Iraqi refugee detained and under investigation Ahmed Hamdane El Aswadi 36 Chadian rebel leader arrested in France Mahamat Nouri and others 37 Guantánamo case dismissal confirmed by Paris Court of Appeal Geofrey Miller and others 38 Liberian war crimes suspect rearrested Kunti K. 39 Libyan insurgency commander under scrutiny Khalifa Haftar 40 Definitive life sentence for two mayors Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira 41 Extradition of a genocidaire suspect Philippe Hategekimana 42 Investigation closed over a deputy’s involvement in the Rwandan genocide Félicien Baligira 43 25-year proceedings end with a dismissal Wenceslas Munyeshyaka 44 Three more upcoming genocide trials Laurent Bucyibaruta; Sosthène Munyemana; Claude Muhayimana 47 GERMANY 47 Structural investigation against the Syrian government: arrests and indictments Anwar R. and Eyad A. 49 Prosecuting genocide and other grave crimes committed against Yazidis Jennifer W. and others 50 Prosecuting crimes of non-State actors in Syria and Iraq Ibrahim Al F. and others 52 Afghan soldier tried and sentenced for war crimes Ahmad Zaheer D. 53 FDLR leaders’ case ends in an unexpected way Ignace Murwanashyaka and Straton Musoni 54 Case against Israeli Defense Forces discontinued in Israel, but goes ahead in Germany Names withheld 55 GHANA 55 Ex-President of The Gambia tied to murders of migrants Yahya Jammeh 56 HUNGARY 56 European cooperation leads to the arrest of an ISIS suspect Hassan Faroud 57 ITALY 57 Torturing migrants earns Somali man life sentence Osmann Matammud 58 Three migrant torturers arrested in Messina Mohammed Condè; Hameda Ahmed; Mahmoud Ashuia 59 NGOs fight dismissal of arms trade case involving exports to Saudi Arabia RWM Italia S.p.A. 60 NETHERLANDS 60 First indictment over war crimes committed in Syria Abu Khuder 61 German tip-of allows arrest by Dutch police Name withheld 62 An Afghan prison commander detained on charges of war crimes Name withheld 63 Prosecutor starts hearing witnesses in Ethiopian “Red Terror” case Eshetu Alemu 64 “Blood timber” businessman awaiting extradition Guus Van Kouwenhoven 66 NORWAY 66 Victims and NGOs file complaint against Syrian ofcials Names withheld 67 Witness statements upheld as evidence against a Rwandan refugee Jean Chrysostome Budengeri 68 SPAIN 68 Salvadoran colonel maintained in detention Inocente Orlando Montano Morales 70 Syrian intelligence case definitively closed Ali Mamluk and others 72 SWEDEN 72 First case opened in the Karaj prison massacre in Iran Hamid Noury 73 Torture survivors report the crimes of at least 25 Syrian intelligence ofcials Names withheld 74 Case completed for Iraqi soldier posting pictures of dead ISIS fighters Kurda Bahaalddin H. Saeed H. Saeed 75 SWITZERLAND 75 Preventive detention renewed for the former Gambian Minister of Interior Ousman Sonko 76 Three ongoing procedures against the uncle of Bashar al-Assad Rifaat al-Assad 78 Algerian Minister’s prosecution drags on despite United Nations warning Khaled Nezzar 79 Rebel commander sent to trial for war crimes Alieu Kosiah 80 Conviction of the head of the Guatemalan police confirmed Erwin Sperisen 82 Swiss businessman under criminal investigation for pillage in DRC Christoph Huber 83 UNITED KINGDOM 83 Dismissal of torture charges against Charles Taylor’s ex-wife Agnes Reeves Taylor 85 Genocide investigation opened by the Metropolitan police Vincent Bajinya, Célestin Ugirashebuja, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo and Célestin Mutabaruka 86 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 86 Civil cases take over criminal proceedings 89 TABLE OF CASES 97 WHO WE ARE METHODOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The present report only highlights cases where judges or prosecutors have initiated investigations into the most serious international crimes. It does not, therefore, include every complaint that victims, lawyers and NGOs filed under universal jurisdiction with national authorities in 2019 if these complaints did not result in significant judicial advances, are still pending or have been dismissed by the relevant national authorities. The report also refers to cases of serious crimes under international law based on active or passive personality jurisdiction where the relevant case has also had an impact on the practice of universal jurisdiction. The information presented in this report has been collected thanks to the collaboration of the prosecuting authorities of the countries studied with the lawyers and NGOs working on the cases. While every attempt was made to ensure accuracy, information may be subject to change without notice. This report has been researched and written by Valérie Paulet, Project Coordinator at TRIAL International, in collaboration with REDRESS, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights. The organizations are grateful to the following persons and organizations for their assistance and collaboration in collecting the information compiled in this report: ▪ The Center for Justice and Accountability; ▪ Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers; ▪ Civitas Maxima; ▪ Una Schamberger, Luc Walleyn and Tom Lynch; ▪ Prosecutors and investigative judges from Argentina, Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom; and ▪ all the volunteers who assisted us. This publication benefited from the generous support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Oak Foundation, the City of Geneva, REDRESS, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights. 6 FOREWORD Six years ago, we published the first Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review (UJAR) with the view to explain and democratize this legal tool. What universal jurisdiction was and how it worked remained at the time widely unknown to those who were not legal experts. And even within the legal community, it met with substantial skepticism. A few years later the UJAR – its number of pages steadily increasing – started to focus on best practices and successful litigation strategies. As victims from war-struck Syria and Iraq took refuge in Europe, the number of universal jurisdiction cases increased significantly, often initiated by national authorities themselves. For many individuals, seeking justice in their host country was the only option, and so the debate shifted from whether to use universal jurisdiction to how. It is our hope that the UJAR, conceived as a concrete tool for practitioners, encouraged this trend. This year, the UJAR focuses on the risks of confusing the prosecution of international crimes with the fight against terrorism. The implications of choosing pragmatism to the detriment of sound legal principles are substantial, and the consequences potentially grave. All mass atrocities should be fully and diligently investigated, even if such investigations are longer and more strenuous. And yet. Looking back and measuring how far we have come in these past six years, we are hopeful that universal jurisdiction has rooted deeply enough to overcome this trend. The first UJARs were entitled Make way for Justice. We are convinced that the way has been made, that a breach has indeed been opened in the wall of impunity. Now we must keep up the fight to ensure all mass atrocities, regardless of who committed them and where, are prosecuted for what they are: international crimes. As usual, we rely on your
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