Washington Dc (Voa News) Somali warlords living in Britain may be tried for war crimes committed in Somalia thanks to proposed legislation. British Justice Secretary Jack Straw told the Guardian newspaper that the new proposal, yet to be ratified by the British Parliament, is aimed at closing the legal loopholes of an existing law that allows prosecutors to indict a war crimes suspect for atrocities committed since 2001.
Human rights organizations believe that dozens of British residents and nationals may have perpetrated crimes against humanity in other nations and have evaded prosecution living in England. They include citizens from Rwanda, Somalia and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
“This is the most comprehensive legislation ever passed in the U.K.,” said Dr. Omar Abdi Alasow, a human rights lawyer in London, “the aim is to widen the net for people who may have committed crimes outside the U.K., but who now live here.”
Alasow said that if the law is passed a number of Somali warlords, some accused of ordering the massacre and kidnapping of hundreds of people as recent as last year, are likely to be indicted. Though no one is named, the mere proposal jolts war criminals, said Alasow.
Considered to be an important legal instrument in dealing with war crimes, the legislation will allow the British government to prosecute suspects accused of abuses dating back to 1991, currently only abuses committed after 2001 can be prosecuted.
Secretary Straw told the Guardian that those “who have committed genocide or war crimes or crimes against humanity during the 1990s must not escape justice. These people must face up to their terrible crimes and we are doing everything in our power to make them accountable for their actions.”
Buruc News 
Posted on July 9, 2009
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