Accountability for International Crimes in Syria: Universal Jurisdiction and its Application

Abstract

The principle of universal jurisdiction — the legal foundation that enables states to establish and exercise jurisdiction over certain atrocious crimes of universal concern such as war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity — is a noble albeit somewhat controversial instrument. So far, it seems to be more of a theoretical concept than a practical one. This is due to numerous reasons, many of which will be addressed in this article. Exercising universal jurisdiction can pose certain practical challenges, and there seems to exist a slight gap between principle and practice. However, as this article will try to show, the gap is nonetheless slowly closing, particularly in some Western