Spanish court agrees to try China for genocide

On August the 5th the Spanish National Court agreed to hear a lawsuit accusing the Chinese government of genocide in Tibet. According to SBS World News Australia the suit was filed on July 9 against seven Chinese leaders, including Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, by the Tibet Support Committee and two other Tibetan groups. The lawsuit relates to the unrest in Tibet in March this year where, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile, 203 Tibetans were killed. According to Beijing though, only one Tibetan died during the unrest. Spain's National Court is able to try this kind of case under the principal of "universal competence" adopted by the Spanish judiciary in 2005, which allows countries courts to hear cases of genocide and crimes against humanity wherever they occur and whatever the nationality of the defendant. Hmm.