BREAKING: Hague’s “People’s Court” Issues Arrest Warrant for Xi Jinping, Charges Genocide
Following four days of thorough legal proceedings, the Hague’s Court of the Citizens of the World ruled Xi Jinping to have commit genocide in Xinjiang against the Uyghur people, other crimes against humanity in Tibet, and the crime of aggression in Taiwan.
As reported by JURIST, the tribunal was “comprised of Former Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen Rapp, Former Madela appointee before the Constitutional Court of South Africa Zak Yacoob, and lawyer and international law specialist Bhavani Fonseka.”[1]
Radio Free Asia, a U.S.-funded news organization, added the tribunal “obtained sufficient legal grounds” to issue an arrest warrant. This arrest warrant was then issued following the tribunal’s guilty verdict. In arriving at its decision, the court heard first-hand victim accounts as “[s]ome witnesses were survivors of mass detention camps in Xinjiang, where torture and the forced sterilization of Uyghur women occurred.”[2]
Significant effort and resources were dedicated in hopes the tribunal would not take place. As reported in JURIST and Radio Free Asia, witnesses were contacted by China’s state police as recently as two days prior to testifying and the tribunal’s members and employees attested to receiving fraudulent cease and desist orders claiming to come from a UK law firm as well as were allegedly prompted by a spy to resign.
While the Hague’s “People’s Court” is entirely lacking in authority, and is symbolic, this decision retains heavy diplomatic and legal implications in the international community.
The more authoritative International Criminal Court, also housed within The Hague, still lacks authority to arrest but is recognized as having jurisdiction to impose criminal sentences on people brought before it. Notably, in early 2023, the “People’s Court” ruled Vladmir Putin to be guilty of the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which spurred the International Criminal Court to follow suit a month later. Perhaps the International Criminal Court will do the same here with Xi Jinping.
Additionally, the “People’s Court” in ruling aggression in Taiwan thereby recognized Taiwan as having sovereign rights, which China under the One China Policy denies.
Of note, the Associated Press covered the Court of the Citizens of the World’s ruling last year against Putin, but elected not to cover this week’s ruling against Xi.
[1] https://www.jurist.org/features/2024/07/13/the-verdict-of-the-china-tribunal-harassment-threats-indictments-and-a-clear-mandate-for-justice/
[2] https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/peoples-court-issues-arrest-warrant-xi-jinping-07152024173601.html