(AFP) France’s highest court ruled Friday that the country can try foreign suspects under the universal jurisdiction principle, greenlighting inquiries into two Syrians accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ruling was welcomed by rights groups who said it would also have a significant [effect] on dozens of other cases concerning a range of conflicts across the world.
“The court recognises the principle of universal jurisdiction for the French judiciary in two cases concerning Syria,” the Court of Cassation said in a statement.
The decision allows for investigations to continue in the cases against former Syrian soldier Abdulhamid Chaban, charged with complicity in crimes against humanity; and Majdi Nema, a former spokesman for the Islamist group Jaysh al-Islam accused of torture and war crimes.
