Brussels
Bowing to pressure from the U.S., Belgium this week said it would amend its “universal jurisdiction” law, which allows charges of war crimes committed anywhere to be brought in Belgian courts. Iraqi expatriates earlier this year charged President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes stemming from the Iraq war. Those cases were thrown out, but the U.S., fearing a rash of politically motivated lawsuits, threatened to move NATO headquarters out of Belgium unless the 1993 law was amended. Belgium has now agreed to limit the law’s scope to cases where Belgians are directly involved as victims or suspects. “Certain organizations have used this law in an abusive manner,” Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said. “Modifying the law will make that impossible.” There was no immediate U.S. reaction.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 prize-winning cartoons about Donald Trump's appetite for awardsCartoons Artists take on operatic ambitions, peace prize pacifiers, and more
-
Will Trump’s $12 billion bailout solve the farm crisis?Today’s Big Question Agriculture sector says it wants trade, not aid
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
