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Ireland's Genocide Act of 18th December 1973.

GENOCIDE ACT, No. 28/1973. [18th December 1973]

AN ACT TO GIVE EFFECT TO THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE AND TO  PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

1.— Definition. In this Act "the Genocide Convention" means the Convention set out in the Schedule to this Act.

2.— 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.

(2) A person guilty of an offence of genocide shall on conviction on indictment—

( a ) in case the offence consists of the killing of any person, be sentenced to imprisonment for life, and

( 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 except by or with the consent of the Attorney General.

(4) A person charged with an offence of genocide or any attempt, conspiracy or incitement to commit genocide shall be tried by the
 Central Criminal Court.

3.— Extradition and evidence for foreign courts.

(1) No offence which, if committed in the State, would be punishable as genocide or as an attempt, conspiracy or incitement to commit genocide shall be regarded as a political offence or an offence connected with a political offence for the purposes of the Extradition Act, 1965, and no proceedings in respect of such an offence shall be regarded as a criminal matter of a political character for the purposes of section 24 of the Extradition Act, 1870, or section 5 of the Extradition Act, 1873.

(2) A person shall not be exempt from extradition under the Extradition Act, 1965, for an offence referred to in subsection (1) of this section on the ground that, under the law in force at the time when, and in the place where, he is alleged to have committed the act of which he is accused or of which he was convicted, he could not have been punished therefor; nor shall an order under section 24 of the Extradition Act, 1870, or section 5 of the Extradition Act, 1873, for the taking of evidence in relation to any such offence as aforesaid be invalid on any such ground.

 4.—Section 169 of the Defence Act, 1954 (which relates to the trial of certain civil offences by court-martial) is hereby amended by the insertion after paragraph (b) of the following:

    "( b) if he is convicted of an act of genocide which would be punishable under the Genocide Act, 1973, be liable—

        (i) in case the offence consists of the killing of any person, to imprisonment for life, or

        (ii) in any other case, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years;".

 5.—Section 192 of the Defence Act, 1954 (which relates to the jurisdiction of courts-martial) is hereby amended by—

    ( a )the insertion in subsection (2) (c) after "murder" of "or genocide", and

    ( b )the insertion in subsection (3) after "murder," of "genocide,",

 and, accordingly, those subsections shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE                                  

(2) A limited court-martial shall not have jurisdiction—

( a )to try any person for any offence against military law committed by such person while subject to military law as an officer, or

( b )to try any person who is for the time being an officer, or

( c )to try any person for the offence of treason or murder or genocide, or

( d )to award to any person any sentence greater than imprisonment.

    (3) A court-martial shall not have jurisdiction to try any person subject to military law for the offence of treason, murder, genocide, manslaughter or rape unless such offence was committed while such person was on active service.

6.— Amendment of section 13 of Criminal Procedure Act, 1967. Section 13 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1967 (which relates to the procedure where the accused pleads guilty in the District Court to
 an indictable offence) is hereby amended by the insertion in subsection (1) after "piracy" of ", genocide", and accordingly that subsection shall have effect as set out in the Table to this section.

TABLE                                            

(1) This section applies to all indictable offences except the following  an offence under the Treason Act, 1939, murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy to murder, piracy, genocide or a grave breach such as is referred to in section 3 (1) (i) of the Geneva Conventions Act, 1962, including an offence by an accessory before or after the fact.

 7.—Section 29 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1967 (which relates to bail in case of treason, murder and certain other offences) is hereby  amended by the insertion in subsection (1) after paragraph (f) of the following:

    "( g ) genocide.".

 8.— Short title. This Act may be cited as the Genocide Act, 1973.

Source: Irish Statue Book - Acts of the Oireachtas, 1922-1997

Ireland also passed the International War Crimes Tribunals Act on November 10, 1998