SWEDEN: END IMPUNITY THROUGH UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION Amnesty International Publications First published in [YYYY] by Amnesty International Publications International Secretariat Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom www.amnesty.org Copyright Amnesty International Publications 2009 Index: EUR 42/001/2009 Original Language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Cover photo: [Credit] Amnesty International is a global movement of 2.2 million people in more than 150 countries and territories, who campaign on human rights. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. We research, campaign, advocate and mobilize to end abuses of human rights. Amnesty International is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. Our work is largely financed by contributions from our membership and donations CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 7 2. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................... 9 2.1. Type of Legal System ............................................................................................ 9 2.2. Status of International Law .................................................................................... 9 2.3. Court System ........................................................................................................ 9 2.4. Role of the Police and the Prosecutors .................................................................. 10 2.5. Proposal for Legal Reform .................................................................................... 10 3. EXTRATERRITORIAL CRIMINAL JURISDICTION OTHER THAN UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION .............................................................................................................. 12 3.1. Active personality jurisdiction ............................................................................. 12 3.2. Passive personality jurisdiction ............................................................................ 13 3.3. Protective jurisdiction ........................................................................................ 13 4. LEGISLATION PROVIDING FOR UNIVERSAL CRIMINAL JURISDICTION ...................... 15 4.1. Ordinary crimes .................................................................................................. 15 4.2. Crimes under national law of international concern ............................................... 18 4.2.1 Two different jurisdictional schemes ............................................................... 18 4.2.2 An Overview: Crimes under national law of international concern that are subject to universal jurisdiction in Sweden ........................................................................... 20 4.3. Crimes under international law ............................................................................ 30 4.3.1. War crimes .................................................................................................. 30 4.3.2. Crimes against humanity ............................................................................... 32 4.3.3. Genocide .................................................................................................... 33 4.3.4. Torture ........................................................................................................ 34 4.3.5. Extrajudicial executions .............................................................................. 34 4.3.6. Enforced disappearances .............................................................................. 35 4.3.7. Aggression ................................................................................................... 35 5. CIVIL JURISDICTION OVER TORTS ............................................................................ 37 5.1. Legislation providing for universal jurisdiction over torts in civil cases .................................................................................................................. 38 5.2. Legislation providing for raising civil claims in criminal cases initiated by a prosecutor or investigating judge ................................................................................................. 39 5.3. Private prosecutions by victims or others acting on their behalf, actions civiles or actio popularis .................................................................................................................. 40 5.4. Restrictions on private prosecutions and civil claims procedures ............................. 40 6. OBSTACLES TO THE EXERCISE OF CRIMINAL OR CIVIL JURISDICTION ..................... 42 6.1. Flawed or missing definitions of crimes under international law, principles of criminal responsibility or defences ........................................................................................... 42 6.2. Presence requirements in order to open an investigation or request extradition ....... 55 6.3. Statutes of limitationS applicable to crimes under ................................................ 56 international law ........................................................................................................ 56 6.4. Dual criminality .................................................................................................. 59 6.5. Immunities ......................................................................................................... 61 6.6. Bars on retroactive application of international criminal law in national law or other temporal restrictions ................................................................................................... 61 6.7. Ne bis in idem .................................................................................................... 63 6.8. Political control over decisions to investigate and prosecute ................................... 65 6.9. Restrictions on the rights of victims and their families ........................................... 66 6.10. Amnesties ........................................................................................................ 66 7. EXTRADITION AND MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE ..................................................... 67 7.1 Extradition ........................................................................................................... 67 7.1.1. Inappropriate limits on Swedish extradition requests ...................................... 69 7.1.1.1. Political control over the Swedish extradition requests ............................. 69 7.1.1.2. Presence and Swedish Extradition Requests ............................................. 69 7.1.2. Inappropriate bars to granting extradition requests .......................................... 69 7.1.2.1. Political control over the granting of extradition requests ......................... 70 7.1.2.2. Nationality ............................................................................................. 70 7.1.2.3. Dual criminality and territorial jurisdiction ............................................... 70 7.1.2.4. Political offence ..................................................................................... 71 7.1.2.5. Military offence ...................................................................................... 72 7.1.2.6. Ne bis in idem ....................................................................................... 72 7.1.2.7. Non-retroactivity ..................................................................................... 73 7.1.2.8. Statutes of limitation .............................................................................. 73 7.1.2.9. Amnesties, pardons and similar measures of impunity ............................... 74 7.1.3. Safeguards ................................................................................................... 74 7.1.3.2. Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment .... 75 7.1.3.4. Humanitarian concerns ........................................................................... 76 7.1.3.5. Speciality .............................................................................................. 76 7.2. Mutual legal assistance ....................................................................................... 77 7.2.1 Unavailable or inadequate procedures ............................................................. 78 7.2.2 Inappropriate bars to mutual legal assistance ................................................... 78 7.2.3. Safeguards ................................................................................................... 78 8. SPECIAL POLICE OR PROSECUTOR UNIT ...................................................................................................... 79 9.1 Universal jurisdiction cases ................................................................................... 81 9.2 Passive personality case ....................................................................................... 84 9.3 Active personality case ........................................................................................