Madrid - A Spanish judge on Monday sought an international arrest warrant for former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, former prime minister Li Peng, and three other officials for their involvement in alleged genocide in Tibet.
Judge Ismael Moreno asked Interpol to issue the arrest warrants after the case was brought before the National Court late last year by groups who accuse China of committing genocide and other crimes against humanity in Tibet in the 1980s and 90s.
The other defendants are former state security chief Qiao Shi, former family planning minister Peng Peiyun and Chen Kuiyan, a Communist Party leader in Tibet at the time.
The case has strained relations with China, which last year summoned Spain's ambassador to Beijing to complain. It was taken up by the National Court under the principle of universal jurisdiction for human rights crimes, and because the plaintiffs include a Tibetan who has Spanish nationality.
Sapa-dpa