Spain seeks arrest of former Chinese president over Tibet

Source: Reuters

A Spanish judge on Monday sought the arrest of China's former president and premier over accusations of genocide in Tibet in an 8-year-old case that has drawn a rebuke from China.

High Court Judge Ismael Moreno asked Interpol to issue orders for the detention of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, ex-premier Li Peng and three other officials for questioning on charges brought by Tibetan rights groups in Spain.

However, the case may not progress as Spain's ruling People's Party is pushing through new rules to limit judges' ability to pursue cases under universal jurisdiction, the principle that crimes against humanity can be prosecuted across borders.

This is the same concept used by former judge Baltasar Garzon to bring about the arrest of Chile's ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet in London in 1998. Pinochet was eventually allowed to return to Chile for health reasons.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/us-china-spain-idUSBREA191J520140210