Genocide Accountability Act of 2007

On Friday, President Bush signed into law the Genocide Accountability Act of 2007 (text here). As the White House press release notes, the statute "expands criminal liability for participation in acts of genocide committed outside of the United States to persons not covered by current [U.S.] criminal law." Prior to passage of the Act, the ability of the United States to prosecute persons accused of genocide was limited to U.S. nationals or persons who committed genocide on U.S. territory. Now it includes, among other categories of persons, an "alleged offender [who] is brought into, or found in, the United States, even if that conduct occurred outside the United States." Kevin Jon Heller provides commentary at Opinio Juris.