Now, to the contrary, this draft law consolidates the impunity in France of perpetrators of the most serious crimes.
Thus, victims of international crimes will not be able to present themselves as civil parties, that is to say initiate proceedings against alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide. This initiative no longer belongs to anyone but the prosecutor, who, experience has shown, is most hesitant to act.
Contrary to the victims of ordinary crimes, victims of crimes against humanity lose their right to seek justice in France. From now on, it is better to be a victim of robbery than a victim of genocide in France.
Furthermore, alleged perpetrators of international crimes can be prosecuted only if they possess "habitual" residency in France. Obviously none of them will take this risk, satisfying themselves with more or less prolonged stays in complete impunity on French territory. The provision adopted by the Senate is even more shocking given that in the actual state of international commitments and French law, a perpetrator of acts of torture can be arrested and prosecuted upon entering France, whereas a perpetrator of crimes against humanity can circulate freely as long as he refrains from establishing habitual residency.
FIDH and LDH draw the attention of Parliamentarians to the gravity of these provisions, and demand that the National Assembly not confirm the vote for such an amendment, which would make France a safe haven for the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, and leave their victims deprived of an indispensable remedy.
See also the press release of the French Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CFCPI) on its website (in French).