Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Argentina citizens seeking judicial investigation of Spanish civil war crimes

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Argentine relatives of Spanish citizens killed during the Spanish Civil War asked an Argentine federal court on Wednesday to open a judicial investigation into human rights violations committed during the early years of the Francisco Franco regime. The complainants contend that their case, alleging the regime's responsibility for the execution of their relatives, can be heard in Argentina's courts through universal jurisdiction. They also hope to add to their complaint any other cases involving disappearances or killings committed during Franco's regime. Local human rights groups, including the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the Argentine League for Human Rights and the Peace and Justice Service have joined the complainants in support of the investigation. If the Argentine federal court decides to take the case, it will be the first time an Argentine court invokes universal jurisdiction for crimes committed in another country. The request for a judicial probe in Argentina is a reaction to the Spanish Supreme Court's decision to charge National Court judge Baltasar Garzon with abuse of power for his investigation of war crimes during the Franco regime. The indictment has sparked international outrage and massive protests in Spain. Last week, Garzon appealed the indictment. Garzon alleged that the indictment is politically motivated, compromises judicial independence, and seeks to impose a specific interpretation of a 1977 law granting amnesty for political crimes committed under Franco.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 14, 2010 (boomark / email).