Very interesting to see universal jurisdiction used in the UK. It’s quite rarely used. We can bet the government are angry.

UK police charge Nepalese colonel with 2 counts of torture during civil war

British police say they have charged a colonel in the Nepalese army with two counts of torture allegedly committed during the Himalayan nation’s civil war.

Kumar Lama, 46, was arrested Thursday at a residential address in the English town of St. Leonards-on-Sea, about 70 miles (115 kilometres) southeast of London.

Britain’s Metropolitan Police said Friday that the charges relate to two separate incidents that allegedly occurred between April and May 2005 at the Gorusinghe Army Barracks in Nepal.

Lama is charged with intentionally “inflicting severe pain or suffering” as a public official on two separate individuals and will appear in court Saturday.

British authorities claim “universal jurisdiction” over serious offences such as war crimes and torture, meaning such crimes can be prosecuted in Britain regardless of where they occurred.