Wednesday, Jun. 26, 2002
Belgium bars Sharon war crimes trial
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- A Belgian appeals court ruled Wednesday that Belgium cannot investigate war crimes charges against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon related to a 1982 massacre in two Palestinian refugee camps.
The three-judge panel said a case could not proceed against a person who is not in Belgium, despite a 1993 Belgian law granting Belgian courts "universal jurisdiction" over war crimes committed anywhere.
"If a person is not found on the territory, we find it inadmissible," the court said in its 22-page ruling.
http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/belgium_jun26-ap.html