Belgium to Scrap War Crimes Law (washingtonpost.com)

Bad Belgian Law Lifted

In a move that echoed many conservative pundits from ten years ago, the decade-old Belgian war crimes law was scrapped.

Belgium to Scrap War Crimes Law (washingtonpost.com)

BRUSSELS, July 12 -- Belgian officials said today that they will scrap a controversial war crimes law under which cases have been launched against President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, said the move by his new government was aimed at preventing abuses of the law. 'I think we have definitely solved this question,' he said, hours after his government was sworn in by King Albert II.

The 1993 law gave Belgium jurisdiction over war criminals regardless of where their alleged crimes occurred. Human rights organizations hailed the law as a novel weapon that would put dictators and despots everywhere on notice, but critics, including members of the Belgian government, warned that it interfered with Belgium's foreign relations and could bring on a flurry of cases filed mainly for political reasons.