Doe v. Jiang Zemin, Bo Xilai, Lou Gan et al.

 

In November 2009, the Spanish Court indicted top Chinese leaders for the crimes of genocide and torture. Exercising universal jurisdiction pioneered by the Pinochet case. The presiding Judge over the case was D. Ismael Moreno of the Central Court for Preliminary Proceedings Number 2. Defendants were sent correspondence demanding further information about their role in the crimes.

If the defendants appeared before the Spanish National Courts, they would receive up to 20-year prison terms and may be held liable for civil damages. If the defendants enter a country that has an extradition treaty with Spain, they would be detained and forced to stand before the Spanish court. It is unlikely, however, that China’s leaders would leave the country and face trial before the Spanish Court.

 

Source: "Case Summary ." Human Rights Law Foundation. Human Rights Law Foundation, n.d. Web. 3 Feb 2014. <http://www.hrlf.net/SpainJiangZemin.html>.