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May 20, 2009

Spanish Lawmakers Vote to Restrict Foreign Probes
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In Spain, lawmakers are trying to block their judiciary’s war crimes
investigations of foreign governments including the United States. On
Tuesday, Spain’s Congress voted to limit judges’ jurisdiction to cases
with a clear Spanish connection. Spain’s National Court is currently
investigating thirteen foreign cases under the principle of universal
jurisdiction. They include the torture of US prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
and Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The Spanish vote follows weeks of
pressure by foreign governments seeking to curb the investigations. It’s
unclear whether the vote will apply to the current cases or only to
future ones.



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