Universal Jurisdiction
The principle that any state may try certain heinous crimes wherever committed
Overview
From piracy's any court may try rule, doctrine extended universal jurisdiction to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture, on the theory such crimes offend all humankind. Spain's attempt to prosecute Pinochet and the 1998 London arrest warrant that followed made the principle famous, and Belgium's 1993 law, later narrowed in 2003, tested its limits. The ICC's complementarity absorbs part of its function. It remains the boldest claim of criminal law without territory. Germany now prosecutes Syrian war crimes on the principle, convicting officials tried nowhere near the scene.
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