Universal Jurisdiction and Its Efficiency in Prosecution of International Crimes

Abstract

Universal jurisdiction is a legal principle which allows every country to bring to justice perpetrators of grave crimes no matter where the crime has been committed and regardless of nationality of perpetrators or their victims. The doctrine of universal jurisdiction asserts that some crimes are so heinous that their perpetrators should not escape justice by invoking sovereign immunity or inviolability of internationally recognized borders. Despite numerous positive developments in national practice, significant limitations remain which hinder the exercise of universal jurisdiction. These limitations are not necessarily inherent in all cases of universal jurisdiction and could be overcome with sufficient political will.