Description
Book SynopsisAfter centuries of near dormancy, the concept of ''universal jurisdiction'' has suddenly become an important legal tool in the international campaign against impunity, most prominently in high-profile criminal trials. Among the legal questions raised by the exercise of universal jurisdiction, this book considers two. Under what conditions is a country investigating or prosecuting a foreigner for an extraterritorial offence internationally competent? What is the basis in municipal law for the exercise of universal jurisdiction? Reydams first identifies the international legal issues that arise when a State exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction generally, discerns the different doctrinal concepts of universal jurisdiction, and traces universal jurisdiction in current international texts such as multilateral conventions, resolutions of intergovernmental bodies, and official drafts and studies. He then brings together, and makes accessible in English, detailed accounts of universal juris
Trade Review... meticulously and comprehensively navigates the discourse over a nation-state's authority to prosecute an alleged international criminal ... I am unaware of any other study of universal jurisdiction offering as extensive a compilation and critique of the relevant domestic law. * The American Journal of International Law *
Reydams provides an excellent historical overview of the development of the principle [of universal jurisdiction]. ...[his] book offers a clear counterpoint to those on both ends of the political spectrum who overstate and celebrate the extent of universal jurisdiction and those who overstate and fear it. * International Affairs *
Table of ContentsPART I. UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW; PART II. UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION IN MUNICIPAL LAW
