Early exceptions to asylum

This chapter discusses the origins of the universal right to asylum and the concept of universal jurisdiction. From the outset, the institutionalisation of asylum systems was accompanied by discussions about exceptions, particularly for those suspected of serious crimes. At the same time, the principle of universal jurisdiction challenged the long-standing notion that perpetrators of international crimes could always find refuge somewhere. One of the earliest figures to face international outrage for wartime conduct was German Kaiser Wilhelm II, whose case marked a turning point in global attitudes toward impunity. Only after World War II did the idea of individual criminal accountability for wartime conduct come to fruition.