Spanish court throws out probe into Chinese abuses in Tibet, cites lack of jurisdiction
By APFriday, February 26, 2010
Spain throws out probe on Chinese abuses in Tibet
MADRID — A Spanish court has halted a probe into alleged Chinese abuses in Tibet, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
Friday’s ruling by the National Court marks the first case to be ditched under a new law curbing the country’s jurisdiction over crimes committed abroad.
The complaint against China was filed in 2008, more than a year before Spain’s cross-border justice law was trimmed by Parliament.
The National Court said the complaint still must be thrown out because the new law requires that cross-border cases have a clear link to Spain.
Since 2008 the court had been probing allegations that two Chinese government ministers and five other officials were responsible for repressing protests against Chinese rule in Tibet before the Beijing Summer Olympics of that year.
