Brussels, 04/08/2003 (Agence Europe) - Six human rights groups are extremely disappointed with the Belgian Parliament's repeal of its landmark "universal jurisdiction" statute (which permitted victims to file complaints in Belgium for atrocities committed abroad) describing the move as “a step backwards in the global fight against the worst atrocities”. The NGOs (Amnesty International Belgium, La Ligue des Droits de l'Homme, Liga voor Mensenrechten, la Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme, Avocats sans Frontières and Human Rights Watch) denounced the pressure from the United States which led Belgium to repeal the law. The move goes “against a growing global trend to hold accountable those accused of the worst crimes, which can be seen in the creation of war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Court. More than one hundred states have adopted some form of universal jurisdiction, permitting them to pursue the authors of international crimes,” note the NGOs, adding: “Belgium has thus restricted the reach of universal jurisdiction in its courts by adopting a law similar to or more restrictive than most European countries… With its universal jurisdiction law, Belgium helped destroy the wall of impunity behind which the world's tyrants had always hidden to shield themselves from justice," said the groups. "It is regrettable that Belgium has now forgotten the victims to whom it gave a hope of justice.” Given the total lack of EU solidarity in this area, the NGOs call on European governments to urgently consider the issue of universal jurisdiction and stop giving themselves a lukewarm image. After all, they note, the EU was able to remain united against the United States in defending the International Criminal Court.