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Days of Palestine
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Complaint Filed in Paris Against Two French-Israeli Snipers Accused of War Crimes in Gaza
DaysofPal – The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in collaboration with five partner organizations, has filed a war crimes complaint in Paris targeting two French-Israeli soldiers. The legal action accuses the men, identified as Sasha A. and Gabriel B., of committing grave violations of international law during Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The complaint, submitted to the Paris Judicial Court, alleges the two snipers—both members of the Israeli forces' notorious 'Ghost Unit'—deliberately targeted and killed civilians, including children. They are further accused of genocide, torture, and war crimes. Filed jointly by FIDH, the French Human Rights League (LDH), Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and the French-Palestinian Solidarity Association, the legal action marks a rare effort to hold dual-national combatants accountable in their country of citizenship. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip—supported by the United States—has resulted in more than 190,000 Palestinians killed or injured, according to Palestinian sources. The majority of the victims are women and children, with over 11,000 people still missing and hundreds of thousands displaced. At the same time, violence has surged across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli forces and settlers have intensified assaults on Palestinian communities, resulting in at least 988 deaths and nearly 7,000 injuries to date. The legal complaint represents a significant milestone in the broader push to pursue accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel's ongoing assault on the occupied Palestinian territories. It also underscores growing momentum in Europe to investigate dual nationals who may have participated in overseas military operations that violate international humanitarian law. Should the Paris court accept the case, it could open the door for broader judicial scrutiny into the actions of foreign fighters with links to European countries—and challenge the legal impunity often enjoyed by individuals involved in cross-border military campaigns. Shortlink for this post:
LeMonde
23-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Tehran's allies keep distance from Iran-Israel conflict
In the aftermath of US airstrikes on its nuclear sites during the night of Saturday, June 21 to Sunday, June 22, Iran appeared very much alone to retaliate. Most of Tehran's allies showed great caution towards Donald Trump's surprise initiative, seeming eager to keep a war with an uncertain outcome at a distance. Just hours after 14 US GBU-57 bombs hit the nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, China "strongly condemned" the attack, which aimed to decisively support the offensive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched 10 days earlier. "China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on June 22. At the same time, Narendra Modi, prime minister of Iran's trading partner India, called for "an immediate de-escalation" in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. However, the US entry into the war had all the potential to be viewed as yet another affront by the West against the somewhat nebulous entity of emerging or non-aligned nations known as the Global South. The US and Israeli attack on Iran was, after all, a violation of international law. "Legally, it's an aggression," said Antoine Madelin, advocacy director at the International Federation for Human Rights. Furthermore, it comes in addition to the war crimes committed during Israel's operations in Gaza over the past 21 months.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rubio imposes sanctions on four ICC judges for ‘targeting' US and Israel
The United States is placing sanctions on four judges from the international criminal court (ICC) for what it has called its 'illegitimate actions' targeting the United States and Israel. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions in a statement on Thursday. They target Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. Donald Trump ordered cabinet officials to draw up sanctions against the ICC after the court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. They were accused of overseeing an Israeli offensive during the Gaza conflict that caused famine and included the commission of war crimes. Two of the sanctioned judges authorised the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and two authorised an ICC investigation into abuses by US personnel in Afghanistan. 'As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,' Rubio said. 'The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.' The decision to move forward with the sanctions will escalate Trump's feud with the court and other international organisations, which he has broadly dismissed as politicised. The US has already sanctioned the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, because of his role in pursuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Those sanctions have led Khan to lose access to his email and his bank accounts have been frozen, the Associated Press reported earlier this month. Americans who work for The Hague-based court have been warned that they could be arrested if they set foot on American soil. In a statement, the ICC said it 'deplores' the new designations for sanctions. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all corners of the globe,' the ICC said. 'Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict,' the statement continued. 'It only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity. These sanctions are not only directed at designated individuals, they also target all those who support the court, including nationals and corporate entities of states parties. They are aimed against innocent victims in all situations before the court, as well as the rule of law, peace, security and the prevention of the gravest crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.' Danya Chaikel, the International Federation for Human Rights's representative to the ICC, said the types of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration were originally designed to 'disrupt terrorist networks like ISIS, weapons traffickers, and human rights abusers, not international justice institutions.' 'Using them against ICC officials represents a dangerous misuse of executive power and distorts their purpose … It sends the chilling message that enforcing accountability for mass atrocities can get you punished, while allegedly committing international crimes may get you protected. James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society's justice initiative and a former ICC prosecutor, said: 'As a court of last resort, the ICC is the one place victims of the most serious crimes can turn to when other avenues have failed them in their search for truth and justice. These new designations of ICC judges threaten their hopes and embolden the perpetrators. Sanctions against ICC officials are a betrayal of America's proud commitment to the rule of law and international justice.'
Local France
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. Universal jurisdiction His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Advertisement Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known as Jaish al-Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
A French court on Wednesday jailed a former Syrian Islamist rebel spokesman to 10 years for his role in atrocities committed in Syria's civil war in the country's first universal justice case. Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. - Universal jurisdiction - His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known as Jaish al-Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue. edy/cal/giv/tw
