Alan Cantos is a Spanish citizen involved in pursuing lawsuits against Chinese leaders and seeking justice for Tibetans using the principle of universal jurisdiction in international law, whereby states can claim criminal jurisdiction over individuals whose alleged crimes are considered crimes against humanity, including genocide, regardless of the local jurisdiction in which said crimes were committed. On a recent trip to Washington, DC Cantos visited ICT’s office following up from a Brussels event on ICT’s new report on cultural genocide in Tibet, and was interviewed by Voice of America Tibetan language television, Kunleng. An English version of the interview can be viewed on YouTube.
Alan Cantos, Director of the Tibet Support Group “Comite de Apoyo al Tibet” in Spain (CAT) and José Elías Esteve Moltó, international lawyer and Tibet legal expert, spoke about the cases at an International Campaign for Tibet event in Brussels in June launching ICT’s report on cultural genocide, which can be downloaded at: 60 Years of Chinese Misrule | Arguing Cultural Genocide in Tibet. Cantos and Esteve Moltó explained the the two cases in the Spanish Courts against Chinese authorities for crimes committed in Tibet, in which genocide, crimes against humanity and torture are the foremost. In the context of ICT´s report, Cantos and Esteve Moltó discussed the application of international law and universal jurisdiction as peaceful method for resolving conflicts and seeking accountability and reconciliation in emerging democracies during or after severe trauma.
The report, entitled ‘60 Years of Chinese Misrule | Arguing Cultural Genocide in Tibet,’ examines the impact on Tibetan culture of Chinese Communist Party rule in Tibet and concludes that policies and practices targeting Tibetan culture and additional risk factors for serious instability in Tibet require a qualitatively different response from the EU and from the international community.
An ICT blog about giving evidence for the Spanish cases can be read here: ICT Blog, In Search of Justice: Testifying on Tibet in Madrid.