Universal Jurisdiction Bill to be Amended in Britain
Universal Jurisdiction Bill to be Amended in Britain
Sat, 2010-12-04
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The Asian Tribune reliably learnt that the British Government is to introduce amendments to its Universal Jurisdiction Law so that the approval of a top prosecutor or even that of the Attorney General is needed before making an arrest of a foreign leader.
The urgent need for the change has arisen in the aftermath of the short private visit made by the president of Sri Lanka.
The Asian Tribune also found out from reliable sources that some senior ministers and parliamentarians are furious about the way some groups with links to questionable organizations try to abuse the law to fulfil their own agenda.
Such a move would be a slap in the face for the extremist elements in the Tamil Diaspora who are hell bent on abusing the laws of European countries to further their cause.
Mr William Hague, the foreign secretary during his recent visit to Israel that he would introduce amendments so that foreign leaders and officials can visit Britain without fear.
He was referring to the cases involving Israel generals and the then foreign minister of Israel, Tzipi Livini; they had been forced to cancel visit owing to the threats of arrests on complaints made by Palestinian activists living in Britain.
By handing down the authority to the Director of Public Prosecution, the amendment deprive a magistrate of his or her right to issue arrest warrant on visiting foreign leaders or officials.
According to the proposed amendment, the senior official will pursue such a case only if there is enough evidence to prosecute.
With that, the British government hopes to put an end to politically motivated prosecutions which in turn puts its foreign relationships in jeopardy.
asiantribune.com
