Tibet Lawsuits in Spain: An Introduction

Tibet Lawsuits in Spain: An Introduction

Two Tibet lawsuits are currently underway in Spain under the principle of "universal jurisdiction," a doctrine that allows courts to reach beyond
national borders in cases of torture, terrorism or war crimes. In a new written statement, the Chinese government has strongly rejected a judicial request for officials to testify in court in Madrid and demanded that the
Spanish government block this ground-breaking investigation in the Spanish
High Court on crimes against the Tibetan people. The two Tibet lawsuits are the result of years of dedication and relentless hard work by Jose Elias Esteve Molto, a Professor of International Law at the University of Valencia, and Alan Cantos of the Spanish Tibet Support Committee (CAT), a
research scientist in oceanography for more than 15 years. ICT conducted this interview with Alan Cantos and Jose Elias Esteve Molto in April as an introduction to the significance of the cases. One of the witnesses,
Kelsang, also speaks on this footage about giving evidence in Spain.

For more information:

'Spanish High Court rules that Chinese leaders must testify on Tibet,' at
http://savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/spanish-high-court-rules-chinese-leaders-must-testify-tibet


'In search of justice: testifying on Tibet in Madrid,' at
http://weblog.savetibet.org/2009/04/30/in-search-of-justice-testifying-on-tibet-in-madrid


Tibet Support Committee of Spain (Comite De Apoyo Al Tibet - CAT) at

http://www.tibetcat.com