Völkerstrafgesetzbuch

The Volkerstrafgesetzbuch, abbreviated VStGB and translated as the Code of Crimes against International Law, is a German statute that regulates crimes against public international law and allows German courts to prosecute foreign nationals for international crimes committed abroad, even when neither the perpetrator nor the victim is German. It was announced on June 26, 2002 and became law on June 30, 2002, enacted so Germany could align its domestic law with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It addresses four categories of offense, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and wars of aggression, none of which are subject to any statute of limitations, and it sets out rules on superior responsibility, treating a superior's order as only an exceptional excuse for someone who carries out an international crime. The law establishes universal jurisdiction for German courts over these offenses, with prosecutorial authority resting with the Public Prosecutor General and jurisdiction held by the Higher Regional Courts. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/