Global Courts and the Trayvon Martin Case

The world weighs in on the controversial shooting.

Trayvon Martin - Trayvon Martin, 17, was fatally shot by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman as Martin walked home through a gated community in Sanford, Florida, on Feb. 26. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder and claims he shot the teen in self-defense. (Photo: UPI/Newscom)

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The Trayvon Martin Case: What Would the World Do? - The shooting death of 17-year-old Florida teen Trayvon Martin has gripped America's national conscience and become the most divisive criminal justice issue of 2012. Take a look at how George Zimmerman's claims of self-defense would be handled in countries around the world. —Naeesa Aziz(Photo: Newscom/Facebook)

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South Africa: Is a Gun Proportional to Fists? - Jonathan Burchell, professor of criminal law at South Africa’s University of Cape Town, said, to claim self-defense, Trayvon's shooter, George Zimmerman, would have to prove that he was reasonably threatened by Trayvon and that he used proportional force in defending himself against an attack.“There is no duty to flee in South African law, but if there are reasonable alternatives available the accused should use these before resorting to lethal force,” Burchell told NBC News.(Photo: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel-Pool/Getty Images)

March 9 - Trayvon’s family attorney Ben Crump says the family will sue to get public records of the case. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Canada: Retreat Required - In Canada, a self-defense argument requires a showing that the accused person attempted to retreat from the conflict before it became necessary to use deadly force.  “If [the shooter’s] defense is accepted, he would be acquitted. If it were rejected, he would be sentenced … to life imprisonment, with no eligibility for parole for 10 years.” Andrew Botterell, the associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence and an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario, told NBC News. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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England: Shooting was "Unreasonable and Disproportionate" - Although there is a "loss of control" defense in English law, Michael Bohlander, chair of comparative and international criminal law at Durham University in England, told NBC News that Zimmerman's use of a gun could be seen as "unreasonable and disproportionate, because it could have been expected that a warning shot or even the announcement that he had a gun would have been sufficient to scare an unarmed youth off.”  (Photo: REUTERS/State Attorney's Office/Handout)

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England: Shooting was "Unreasonable and Disproportionate" - Although there is a "loss of control" defense in English law, Michael Bohlander, chair of comparative and international criminal law at Durham University in England, told NBC News that Zimmerman's use of a gun could be seen as "unreasonable and disproportionate, because it could have been expected that a warning shot or even the announcement that he had a gun would have been sufficient to scare an unarmed youth off.” (Photo: REUTERS/State Attorney's Office/Handout)

The Apology - Zimmerman’s bond is set for $150,000 after his family testifies they can’t afford a higher amount. During the court hearing, Zimmerman apologizes to Trayvon’s family. It is at this time that the public learns that Zimmerman is married. (Photo: Gary Green/The Orlando Sentinel-Pool/Getty Images )

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China: Zimmerman Convicted - “...in light of the extremely high conviction rate, if [the shooter] was charged, I feel confident that he would be convicted of some crime," Margaret Lewis, associate professor of law at Seton Hall University, told NBC News. Not-guilty verdicts are extremely rare in China and, instead, the trial is generally more focused on what punishment is appropriate."(Photo: Gary Green/The Orlando Sentinel-Pool/Getty Images )

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Germany: Self Defense "Highly Unlikely" - Bohlander, who was previouly a judge in Germany, told NBC News that given the facts, it is "highly unlikely" that this scenario would fall under any of Germany's self-defense exceptions.   (Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images)