Assembly/AU/11 (XIII)
Annex II
Page 27
R10. Where those national criminal justice authorities considering exercising universal
jurisdiction believe that the territorial state or the suspect’s or victims’ national
state is willing and able to bring him or her to trial in accordance with international
human rights standards, they should confidentially disclose the indictment (or any
other instrument containing the charges), along with all the evidentiary material
collected, to the criminal justice authorities of the relevant state, together with a
request that these authorities investigate the alleged crimes and, where the
evidence calls for this, prosecute the suspect. Where, however, those national
criminal justice authorities considering exercising universal jurisdiction have
serious reasons to believe that the territorial state and the suspect and victims’
national states are manifestly unwilling or unable to prosecute the suspect, and
the suspect is a foreign state official exercising a representative function on
behalf of his or her state, they should seek and issue a summons to appear or
equivalent measure, rather than an arrest warrant, to enable the suspect to
appear before the court and to produce, with the assistance of counsel, any
exculpatory evidence in his or her possession.
R11. Given the grave nature of serious crimes of international concern such as
genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture, AU and EU Member
States may wish to consider legislating to specify an appropriate level of court at
which proceedings in respect of such crimes must be instituted. They might also
envisage providing specialist training in the prosecution and judging of such
crimes.
R12. Where a state, either on its own initiative or at the request of another state, has
arrested a person suspected by a foreign state of a serious crime of international
concern, it should take into consideration the appeal made in 2005174 by the
Institut de droit international, whereby ‘Any State having custody over an alleged
offender, to the extent that it relies solely on universal jurisdiction, should carefully
consider and, as appropriate, grant any extradition request addressed to it by a
State having a significant link, such as primarily territoriality or nationality, with the
crime, the offender, or the victim, provided such State is clearly able and willing to
prosecute the alleged offender’.
R13. Where a state has arrested a person suspected by a foreign state of a serious
crime of international concern allegedly perpetrated in the latter state, and where
the former state considers that the latter state is manifestly unwilling or unable to
conduct a fair trial consistent with international human rights standards and to
ensure respect for the internationally-guaranteed human rights of detainees, it
174
Resolution III of the Cracow session of the Institut de droit international, ‘Universal Criminal Jurisdiction with Respect to the
Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes’, in Institut de droit international, Annuaire, Volume 71 (2006),
Part II, 297.
Version 31 March 09(FINAL)