Submission to Police Reform and Social Responsibility Public Bill Committee

REDRESS submission is in respect of Clause 151 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, the submission combines the works of REDRESS and partners in examination trial strategies from the perspective of victims.

This submission concerns Clause 151 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Public Bill, which, if adopted, would signals to those responsible for international crimes that this jurisdiction is increasingly ‘perpetrator-friendly’, and one where the important role of civil society organisations seeking to end impunity for grave violations is obfuscated.

REDRESS has a long-standing interest in the strengthening and enforcement of universal jurisdiction legislation and principles in the UK. In January 2010, along with five other NGOs, REDRESS submitted a briefing to parliamentarians opposing proposals for the Attorney General to interfere in the arrest warrant procedure. Most recently, in November 2010, REDRESS together with FIDH, published a report examining the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction in all Member States of the European Union, focusing on trial strategies from the perspective of victims and witnesses of international crimes.