BRIEFING PAPER Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Switzerland June, 2019 Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Switzerland Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5 Crimes invoking universal jurisdiction ...................................................................... 6 1. Genocide ....................................................................................................... 6 2. Crimes against humanity ............................................................................... 6 3. War crimes .................................................................................................... 7 3.1. Application to international and non-international armed conflict ....... 8 3.2. Underlying crimes................................................................................. 8 4. Enforced disappearance .............................................................................. 10 5. Torture ......................................................................................................... 11 Modes of liability ..................................................................................................... 12 1. Main participation ....................................................................................... 12 1.1. Direct perpetrator ................................................................................ 12 1.2. Co-perpetrator ..................................................................................... 12 1.3. Indirect perpetrator (auteur médiat) .................................................... 13 1.4. Command / superior liability .............................................................. 13 2. Secondary participation ............................................................................... 14 2.1. Instigation (instigateur) ...................................................................... 14 2.2. Complicity .......................................................................................... 14 Temporal jurisdiction over crimes ........................................................................... 14 1. Beginning of temporal jurisdiction ............................................................. 14 1.1. War crimes .......................................................................................... 15 1.2. Genocide ............................................................................................. 15 1.3. Crimes against humanity .................................................................... 15 1.4. Enforced disappearance ...................................................................... 15 2. Statute of limitations ................................................................................... 15 2.1. Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes .......................... 16 2.2. Enforced disappearance ...................................................................... 16 Universal jurisdiction requirements ......................................................................... 16 1. Presence of the suspect ................................................................................ 16 2. Double criminality ...................................................................................... 17 3. Prosecutorial discretion ............................................................................... 17 4. Political approval ........................................................................................ 18 5. Subsidiarity ................................................................................................. 18 6. Possibility of extradition ............................................................................. 19 Open Society Foundations Some Rights Reserved Key steps in criminal proceedings ........................................................................... 20 224 West 57th Street, New York, New York, 10019 P. +1 212-548-0600 opensocietyfoundations.org 2 Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Switzerland 1. Investigation stage (Procédure préliminaire) ............................................. 20 1.1. Initiation of investigations .................................................................. 20 1.1.1. Competent authorities ................................................................. 20 1.1.2. Initiation by authorities ............................................................... 21 Investigation initiated by the police ......................................................... 21 Investigation initiated by the Public Prosecutor ...................................... 21 1.1.3. Initiation by victims and NGOs .................................................. 21 1.2. Time limits for investigation ............................................................... 22 1.3. Completion of investigations .............................................................. 23 1.3.1. Possible outcomes ...................................................................... 23 Indictment (mise en accusation) .............................................................. 23 Dismissal (classement de la procédure) .................................................. 23 1.3.2. Possible challenges by victims ................................................... 24 1.4. Victim rights and participation at the investigation stage ................... 24 1.1.4. Injured persons and victims ........................................................ 24 1.1.5. Private Plaintiffs ......................................................................... 25 1.1.6. Rights of victims and injured persons ........................................ 25 1.1.7. Rights of Private Plaintiffs ......................................................... 26 1.5. Arrest warrant ..................................................................................... 27 2. Trial stage .................................................................................................... 28 2.1. Competent authorities ......................................................................... 28 2.2. Possible outcomes ............................................................................... 28 2.3. Possible challenges by victims............................................................ 28 2.4. Victim rights and participation at the trial stage ................................. 29 Rules of evidence ..................................................................................................... 29 1. At investigation stage .................................................................................. 29 1.1. Necessary information for the report of an offense ............................ 29 1.2. Necessary evidence and threshold to open an investigation ............... 30 1.3. Necessary evidence and threshold for an indictment .......................... 30 1.4. Admissibility of evidence ................................................................... 30 2. At trial stage ................................................................................................. 31 2.1. General rules ....................................................................................... 31 2.2. Unlawfully obtained materials ............................................................ 31 2.2.1. Obtained by authorities ............................................................... 31 Strictly inadmissible evidence ................................................................. 31 Open Society Foundations Some Rights Reserved Relatively inadmissible evidence ............................................................. 31 224 West 57th Street, New York, New York, 10019 P. +1 212-548-0600 opensocietyfoundations.org 3 Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Switzerland Strictly admissible evidence .................................................................... 32 2.2.2. Obtained by Private Plaintiffs .................................................... 32 2.3. Open source materials ......................................................................... 32 2.4. Introduction of new evidence.............................................................. 33 Witness and victim protection ................................................................................. 33 Reparation for victims in criminal proceedings ....................................................... 36 Immunities ............................................................................................................... 37 1. General rules ................................................................................................ 37 2. Personal immunity ....................................................................................... 37 3. Functional immunity .................................................................................... 38 4. United Nations and permanent missions ..................................................... 39 5. Headquarters Agreement ............................................................................. 39 6. Special mission immunity ............................................................................ 40 Amnesties ................................................................................................................ 40 Open Society Foundations Some Rights Reserved 224 West 57th Street, New York, New York, 10019 P. +1 212-548-0600 opensocietyfoundations.org