Madrid ( AsiaNews
/ Agencies) - A Spanish court has issued an international arrest warrant for
the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and four other leaders on charges of
having committed genocide against the Tibetan population .
The
Spanish National Court issued the warrant based on the doctrine of universal
jurisdiction which it practices, according to which some cases related to human
rights, are also liable for prosecution outside national borders.
The
case was brought to court a month ago by a group of activists for human rights
in Tibet. They include Thubten Wangchen, an exiled Tibetan who has since taken
on Spanish nationality . They
have accused the former president of "genocide , crimes against humanity ,
torture and terrorism " against the Tibetans in the '80s and '90s.
In
addition to Jiang Zemin , the arrest warrants affect Li Peng (the " Tiananmen
butcher " ) , Prime Minister during periods of repression in the late '80s
and early '90s , Qiao Shi , head of security during the period of martial
law in Tibet in the late '80s ; Chen Kuiyuan , party secretary in Tibet from
1992 to 2001 ; Peng Pelyun (also known as Deng Pelyun ) , minister for family
planning in the 90s.
The
court also decided to
open an investigation into genocide charges against former President Hu Jintao,
who in the late '80s was party secretary in Tibet, responsible for the
application of martial law in '89 and the death of some
500 people.
According
to some activists, it will be difficult to execute the arrest warrant , but it
remains a warning to those who offend human rights.
The
International Campaign for Tibet , an association based in Washington , said
that " none of the leaders appointed ... will run the risk of traveling
abroad , because they could be arrested and interrogated .... For all of them
there is the
possibility that their overseas bank accounts will be frozen".