Universal Jurisdiction
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Congolese victims can take their Congolese torturers to court in France. On January 10, 2007, the French Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation) overturned a stay on the case of the "disappeared of the Beach". In 1999, 350 refugees returning home to Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, were taken away by public authorities and "disappeared". [map of congo] Families of the victims, along with two survivors, started proceedings in French courts against some of the Congolese officials involved. The French Supreme Court's decision to allow the investigation to continue affirms the concept of universal jurisdiction. This means that for crimes involving torture, individuals can file a case in a foreign country for crimes committed abroad.



This piece aired on January 11, 2007, on Radio France International and January 12, 2007 on Network Europe.

Producer: Sarah Elzas
Recorded in Paris, France.
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TEXT
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Introduction
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Transcript
LINKS
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The Brazzaville Beach issue at the FIDH, Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme, which represents the plaintifs
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Description of the OCDH, the Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l’Homme, which represents the plantifs
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Lgue française des droits de l'Homme, the third organization that represents the plaintifs
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Fédération des Congolais de la Diaspora
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The Congolese government response to the French court decision (in French)
 
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