Latest news with #ACIJ
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
How many Australians are fighting with Israel's military in Gaza? This group is monitoring
An Australian legal group says it is preparing a formal criminal complaint to the federal police seeking investigations into Australians serving with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for any potential offences committed. The Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ) reached out to the government in early June, requesting it issue warnings to the Australian public about the risks for Australians fighting for the IDF. It said such warnings should ensure citizens were aware "that engaging in hostilities with the Israeli military in the unlawfully occupied Palestinian Territory, may expose them to criminal investigation and prosecution under Australian law", or elsewhere "where there is evidence that they have participated in the commission of international crimes". Lara Khider, acting executive director of ACIJ, told SBS News: "We are currently monitoring at least 20 individuals who are serving or have served in the Israeli military, and are preparing criminal complaints to the AFP [Australian Federal Police] seeking investigations into potential offences against the Commonwealth." A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed to SBS News the department "does not track the movements of Australians overseas". "The Australian government encourages all Australians who seek to serve with the armed forces of a foreign country to carefully consider their legal obligations and ensure their conduct does not constitute a criminal offence," the spokesperson said. Is fighting for another army legal? Under Australian foreign incursion laws, it's not illegal to serve with a foreign government army — but recruiting someone to do so is. Australian authorities do not actively monitor Australians who may be serving in foreign armed forces, but the Australian Border Force may provide travellers leaving the country with information about their obligations under Australian law. Credit: AP The foreign incursion laws state it's an offence to enter a foreign country with an intention to engage in a hostile activity, unless serving in, or with, the armed forces of the government of a foreign country. It's illegal to recruit people to join an organisation engaged in hostile activities, or to serve in, or with, a foreign military. But the federal attorney-general can allow recruitment of people to serve with an armed force of a foreign country if "it is in the interests of the defence or international relations of Australia". "It is well known that Australians are currently serving in the Israeli military, and there have even been reported instances of recruitment occurring on Australian soil," Khider said. The exact number of Australians who've served or are serving has not been confirmed by Australian authorities. A freedom of information request in 2024 revealed ABF had intervened with three of four Australian citizens suspected of departing for Israel for military service since 7 October 2023. The Australian Border Force (ABF) previously confirmed that when it becomes aware that a person is departing Australia with the intention of travelling to a potential conflict zone, it "provides the traveller with information on their obligations under Australian law". The AFP said it cautioned all Australians who seek to engage in hostilities overseas to carefully consider their legal obligations and ensure their conduct does not constitute a criminal offence. "Any Australian suspected of committing a criminal offence while in a conflict zone may be investigated by the AFP, and, where appropriate, may face prosecution," a spokesperson told SBS News. The Australian Centre for International Justice is monitoring at least 20 Australians who have served or are serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan The ACIJ pointed to the 2024 ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in its war on Gaza . In the ruling, the ICJ called on Israel to "take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide", and ordered Israel to "prevent the commission of acts" that fall under under the Genocide Convention — which include "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part"; and "killing members of the group". The ACIJ said Australia, as a state party to the Genocide Convention, has legal obligations to take all possible measures to prevent genocide. Australia is also party to a number of international human rights treaties and recognises the ICJ and its jurisdiction on international law matters. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said last year the IDF is "a professional military committed to international law". Government warns Australians at the border SBS News obtained a copy of a letter from Attorney-General Michelle Rowland addressed to the ACIJ about the issue, in a reply dated 28 July. In the letter, Rowland said while it was not appropriate for the government to provide specific legal advice, "the government has been clear that all parties to the conflict must comply with international and relevant domestic legal obligations". Rowland said the government "continues to discourage" Australians from engaging in conflict overseas, and advocates for the protection of civilians, the upholding of international law and the unhindered flow of aid to the region. "The government continues to caution all Australians who seek to serve with the armed forces of a foreign country to carefully consider their legal obligations and ensure their conduct does not constitute a criminal offence," Rowland said in the letter. "Where appropriate, the AFP may work with foreign law enforcement agencies and international bodies as part of any potential investigation." However, ACIJ said it had been raising its concerns on the issue with the Australian government since December 2023 and said the government's reply was "manifestly inadequate". "The limited cautions issued to date do not sufficiently reflect the seriousness of the atrocities occurring against the Palestinians in Gaza," Khider said. "Issuing vague or weak cautions does not discharge Australia's obligations under international law. "The government must act with urgency and clarity to ensure that its international legal responsibilities are met, and that Australians are not complicit in atrocity crimes." An Australian war crimes investigation unit Greens senator David Shoebridge said his office had inquired nine months ago into why the Australian government was not tracking people fighting in the Israeli and Russian militaries, and had yet to receive a reply. "The Australian government's current policy is 'head in the sand'," Shoebridge said. "If you don't look for war crimes, you won't find them. "The conflict in these areas has only intensified, and concerns about people being implicated in war crimes have only heightened." "We know that thousands of people have been travelling to Israel over recent months, many to fight in the IDF, which is a concern when the government does not track or monitor who is fighting in this appalling war," Shoebridge said. The number of Australians serving or having served with the IDF has not been confirmed, but News Corp in 2023 reported there could be up to 1,000 who have served or were active reservists at the time. The Greens want a War Crimes Investigation Unit set up in Australia. "Other countries have these bodies, and they are effective. The lack of one in Australia makes everyone less safe."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New law raising concern for some in the immigrant community in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) is speaking out after a new law has taken effect this week. They said it targets the immigrant community, while others said it will keep Alabama safe. A new law requires police to take fingerprints and DNA swabs of people they arrest. That's if the person can't prove their U.S. citizenship and are found to be in the state unlawfully. Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) said it's about keeping Alabamians safe. He originally sponsored the bill in the Senate. 'It's just a way that, when [undocumented immigrants] get deported, they come back, some change their names,' said Sen. Bell. 'And it's a way to identify the people and be linking the crimes to together. And to be able to identify who's doing what.' Brighton City Council member accused of bribery, extortion following recent arrest of colleague Jerome McMullin But executive director of ACIJ, Allison Hamilton, disagrees. 'For people who are undocumented, it's being treated like a criminal when you haven't committed a crime,' said Hamilton. And to be clear, being undocumented is not actually a crime. It's a civil offense.' Hamilton said private information, like DNA, should be protected. 'There's no reason to start taking personal data from people who haven't even been charged or convicted. We all have the right to due process. Innocent until proven guilty,' she said. But Sen. Bell said, for some crimes, DNA is already collected regardless of legal status. 'And so, there's not profiling,' he explained. 'There's no selective enforcement. They're already doing it. The jails are already doing that to us as it is. This really just adds illegal aliens to that class of people that are getting their DNA taken from them at the jail.' Rep. Mark Shirey (R-Mobile) carried the bill in the House. With the new law, he said the state will be able to record DNA samples and solve crimes more efficiently. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Lawyers for Australian student who lost eye during IDF raid in West Bank doubt Israel will investigate
Lawyers for an Australian dentistry student who lost her eye after being struck by shrapnel in the occupied West Bank say they doubt Israel is investigating the matter despite the foreign minister, Penny Wong, demanding a comprehensive probe. Palestinian-Australian student Ranem Abu-Izneid, 20, was sheltering with her friend on 15 November 2024 at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, when she says a bullet fired by Israeli forces penetrated the window. She later lost her right eye. 'The Australian government continues to seek updates from Israel into the incident and has made clear that it expects a comprehensive, thorough and transparent investigation to be conducted,' a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Wong has called for a transparent review of the incident during talks with the Israeli foreign minister and the Israeli ambassador to Australia, sources said. But Abu-Izneid's lawyer, Lara Khider – who is the acting executive director of the Australian Council for International Justice (ACIJ) – said five months after her client was severely injured, Israeli authorities had not publicly acknowledged the incident or announced an investigation. The Australian government told the ACIJ in March that an investigation had commenced 'though no updates, timeline or findings of this investigation have been provided', Khider said before Dfat issued its latest statement. 'There must now be doubts – indeed, severe doubts – as to whether this investigation is taking place at all. 'Accountability cannot truly be achieved unless a thorough, transparent and timely investigation takes place and prosecutorial actions are pursued for unlawful conduct, extending not only to direct perpetrators but also to those responsible within the chain of command.' Khider also said Abu-Izneid deserved 'reasonable reparations in light of [her] now permanent disability'. Abu-Izneid said: 'We want to know what happened and why it happened.' She said the incident had been 'swept under the rug'. An Israel border police spokesperson previously confirmed officers entered Abu Dis on the day of the incident to rescue a citizen who was reportedly under attack. 'Rioters at the place threw rocks and marble slates on the forces from the roofs of homes and, in that way, endangered their lives,' the spokesperson told the ABC. 'In response, the forces responded with live fire in order to neutralise the danger.' But the border police had not accepted responsibility for Abu-Izneid's injuries, the ABC reported. Abu-Izneid was at the university in Abu Dis when she heard explosions and soldiers shouting. She watched her friend peek out a window of their dormitory building, she recalled last week from regional Victoria. Then she felt a strong push – as if a wall had 'slapped' her. When she regained consciousness, she saw her friend looking terrified, she said. Blood was spurting from her eye onto her friend's face. There was no time to think. They crawled to the kitchen, away from the windows. Abu-Izneid said she reached up to touch her face and felt it 'was clearly not … right'. It felt like 'strings' were coming out of her right eye as she grabbed them with her hands. Her friend called an ambulance – and though they were stationed just across the street they couldn't help, Abu-Izneid told Guardian Australia. 'They said 'we can't make it, the border police are still in the way, and if we show up they're most likely going to shoot us too'. They had to find another way to get to us.' Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion She eventually made it to Ramallah hospital and then over the border to St John eye hospital in Jerusalem. The Australian embassy sent a car to transport Abu-Izneid to the Jericho terminal border crossing on 19 November. She understands they were involved in talks to help her cross the Israeli border. But Abu-Izneid claims that is where the assistance from Australia stopped. She passed into Jordan on a special shuttle service she paid for herself. She subsequently flew home to Australia with her father. The ACIJ has claimed: 'The Australian government did not uphold a standard of care and responsiveness expected under the circumstances of Raneem's urgent and extraordinary situation.' Overseas consular staff can't provide medical services or medications and Dfat's Smartraveller website notes they can't 'pay for medical or psychiatric services or medications'. Abu-Izneid was treated at the Royal Melbourne hospital and is now studying at the University of Melbourne. Shrapnel travelled through Abu-Izneid's right eye and cracked the back of her skull, doctors told her. Shrapnel also lodged in Abu-Izneid's face and chest. Her right eye was removed in Melbourne but pieces of shrapnel remain in her face. 'You can see them from the dark spots on my face, and you can actually touch them,' she said. 'You can feel them. Unfortunately, it is going to have to stay with me.' The student previously completed exercises like drilling into cavities with precision. Now, without her right eye, the 20-year-old's depth perception has been hindered. 'I can't tell how far something is,' she said. 'I need help … to pour water from a jug into a cup.' She said her backup plan was to work in childcare but she now doesn't know if that is an option. Abu-Izneid said when her young siblings first saw her after the incident, they were scared of how she looked. 'They know that there is something wrong there,' she said. 'I have dark spots in my face. I have a few scars. It is quite scary for them.' The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli foreign ministry were contacted for comment.
