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An ex post facto law (from the Latin for "from something done afterward") or '''retroactive law,''' is a Law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of acts committed or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. In reference to Criminal Law , it may Criminalize actions that were legal when committed; or to aggravate a Crime by bringing it into a more severe category than it was at the time it was committed; or to change or increase the punishment prescribed for a crime, such as by adding new penalties or extending terms; or to alter the Rules Of Evidence in order to make conviction for a crime more likely than it would have been at the time of the action for which a defendant is prosecuted. Conversely, an ''ex post facto'' law may decriminalize certain acts or alleviate possible punishments (for example by replacing the death sentence with life-long imprisonment) retroactively. A hypothetical example: someone committed a high-profile, brutal Murder , but the public thinks the existing laws will not punish the murderer severely enough; so the Legislature enacts laws that will more severely punish those who have committed the crime of murder ensuring that ''this specific murderer'' will get a prison sentence longer than that prescribed at the time he committed the crime. A law may have an ''ex post facto'' effect without being technically ex post facto. For example, when a law repeals a previous law, the repealed legislation no longer applies to the situations it once did, even if such situations arose before the law was repealed. The principle of prohibiting the continued application of these kinds of laws is also known as '' Nullum Crimen, Nulla Poena Sine Praevia Lege Poenali ''. Generally speaking, ''ex post facto'' laws are seen as a violation of the Rule Of Law as it applies in a free and democratic society. Most Common Law Jurisdiction s do not permit retroactive legislation, though some have suggested that judge-made 'law' is retroactive as a new Precedent applies to events that occurred prior to the judicial decision. In some nations that follow the Westminster System of government, such as the United Kingdom , ''ex post facto'' laws are technically possible as Parliamentary Supremacy allows the Parliament to pass any law it wishes. However, in a nation with an entrenched Bill Of Rights or a written Constitution , ''ex post facto'' legislation may be prohibited. ''EX POST FACTO'' LAWS INTERNATIONALLY
The Nuremberg Trials and other post- World War II laws that prosecuted former members of the Nazi party are often accused of being ''ex post facto'' laws.
European Convention on Human Rights Most European nations, and all European Union nations, are bound by the European Convention On Human Rights . Article 7 of the convention prohibits ''ex post facto'' criminal laws subject to two exceptions. It also prohibits a heavier penalty being imposed than was applicable at the time when an act was committed. The exceptions are:
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