Genocide Act 1969
Genocide Act 1969
1969 CHAPTER 12
An Act to give effect to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
[27th March 1969]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Genocide.
(1) A person commits an offence of genocide if he commits any act falling within the definition of ‘genocide’ in Article II of the Genocide Convention as set out in the Schedule to this Act.
(2) A person guilty of an offence of genocide shall on conviction on indictment—
(a ) if the offence consists of the killing of any person, be sentenced to imprisonment for life;
(b ) in any other case, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.
(3) Proceedings for an offence of genocide shall not be instituted in England or Wales except by or with the consent of the Attorney General and shall not be instituted in Northern Ireland except by or with the consent of the Attorney General for Northern Ireland.
(4) In Schedule 1 to the Criminal Law Act 1967 the following paragraph shall be added at the end of List B (offences outside the jurisdiction of quarter sessions):—
‘20. Offences of genocide and any attempt, conspiracy or incitement to commit such an offence.’
(5) At the end of section 40(1) of the County Courts Act (Northern Ireland) 1959 as amended by section 8 of the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 (original criminal jurisdiction of county courts in Northern Ireland) the following paragraph shall be added:—
‘(h ) any offence of genocide and any attempt, conspiracy or incitement to commit such an offence’.
(6) Section 70 of the Army Act 1955 and section 70 of the Air Force Act 1955 (civil offences) shall each be amended by inserting:—
(a ) in subsection (3), the following paragraph (before paragraph (b )):—
‘(ab ) if the corresponding civil offence is an offence of genocide consisting of the killing of any person, be liable to imprisonment for life;’
(b ) in subsection (4), after the words ‘or rape’ the words ‘or an offence of genocide’; and
(c ) in subsection (5), after the words ‘or manslaughter’ the words ‘or an offence of genocide consisting of the killing of any person’.
(7) In the Naval Discipline Act 1957 :—
(a ) in section 42(1)(b ) (punishment of murder) after the words ‘offence of murder’ there shall be inserted the words ‘or of genocide consisting of the killing of any person’; and
(b ) in section 48(2) (exclusion of jurisdiction of courts-martial) after the words ‘or rape’ there shall be inserted the words ‘or genocide’ and after the words ‘or manslaughter’ there shall be inserted the words ‘or an offence of genocide consisting of the killing of any person’.
2 Extradition and evidence for foreign courts.
(1) There shall be deemed to be included—
(a ) in the list of extradition crimes contained in Schedule 1 to the Extradition Act 1870 ; and
(b ) among the descriptions of offences set out in Schedule 1 to the Fugitive Offenders Act 1967 ,
any offence of genocide and (so far as not so included by virtue of the foregoing) any attempt or conspiracy to commit such an offence and any direct and public incitement to commit such an offence.
(2) For the purposes...
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