[Saisie sur le cas d’Abdulhamid C., membre des services secrets de Damas, interpellé en région parisienne et mis en examen en février 2019 pour « complicité de crime contre l’humanité », la chambre criminelle de la Cour de cassation a estimé, le 24 novembre, que les tribunaux français sont incompétents au motif que le droit syrien ne sanctionne pas spécifiquement les crimes contre l’humanité. Cet arrêt interprète de façon étroite et restrictive la loi du 9 août 2010 qui transpose dans la législation française le statut de Rome fondant la Cour Pénale internationale (CPI) et la notion de compétence universelle. La France est l’un des seuls pays européens à imposer ce verrou de « la double incrimination ».]
Tribune. At the heart of the Paris court, there are men and women who face the worst that man can do. From war crimes to crimes against humanity, they no longer count the stories of pain, the unbearable images, the silent cries of the survivors. These magistrates and these jurists are not historians, they only want to do their job of rendering justice, they apply French law.
The crimes against humanity, war crimes and offenses pole, created in Paris in January 2012, is thus carrying out numerous investigations – more than 160 in 27 countries to date, compared to around twenty at its inception -, initiates trials, develops an active policy of detecting suspects on French territory.
Why ? Because there are in France, in our companies, in our hospitals or in our entourage, people suspected of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The latter adorned with imprescriptibility, without forgetting, forgiveness or redemption. Because France is one of those countries that have made a commitment not to be a golden refuge.
The legislator has thus provided that the French courts are competent to prosecute and try those responsible for acts of torture and enforced disappearances, crimes committed in Rwanda and in the former Yugoslavia, if they are present in France. Even if the facts would have been committed abroad on foreigners.
The legislator has also provided, by adapting its legislation in 2010 to the statute of the International Criminal Court, known as the Rome statute, that they are competent to prosecute and try criminals against humanity and war criminals who are habitual residents in France. . Under certain conditions, already relaxed in 2019.
Suspected criminals could say they are relieved
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