Latest news with #TayabAli
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Raid on Asa Winstanley's home deemed unlawful by UK court
A raid on the house of British pro-Palestine journalist Asa Winstanley has been ruled unlawful by a British court. The Central Criminal Court ruled earlier this week that the Metropolitan Police needed to immediately return all devices seized during the October 2024 raid on the writer's home, which included computers and phones. Solicitor Tayab Ali called the ruling a victory for press freedom and accused the police of 'silencing a journalist who had made comments on the situation in Gaza". "This ruling is a resounding victory for press freedom and the rule of law," he said, according to Solicitors Journal. "The actions of the police, raiding a journalist's home under the guise of counter-terrorism, were not only unlawful but a grave threat to the democratic principle that journalists must be able to work without fear of state harassment.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC, the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court, stated he was 'very troubled by the way in which the search warrant application was drafted, approved and granted where items were to be seized from a journalist.' Winstanley, who has written for the Electronic Intifada since 2009 and has been its associate editor since 2012, regularly uses social media to comment on issues relating to Palestine and Israel, including the ongoing war in Gaza. 'This ruling is a resounding victory for press freedom and the rule of law' Tayab Ali, solicitor Winstanley contributed a number of articles to Middle East Eye between 2015 and 2018. He is the author of Weaponising Anti-Semitism, which accused the pro-Israel lobby in the UK of orchestrating a campaign to undermine former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Last year, the general secretaries of the UK's National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists wrote to Metropolitan Police Assistance Commissioner Matt Jukes, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, to raise concerns about the use of counter-terrorism powers against journalists. The letter came after freelance journalist Richard Medhurst was detained and questioned by police at Heathrow Airport. Medhurst said he believed he was targeted for speaking out on the situation in Palestine.
Middle East Eye
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Complaint submitted in Romania calling for arrest of Israeli soldier
A criminal complaint has been submitted to Romanian authorities calling for the investigation and arrest of a suspected Israeli soldier currently in Romania. The complaint was filed on Tuesday by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), working with a local Romanian legal team, as part of its Global 195 initiative. ICJP submitted evidence of the named suspect, including a photograph of them in Gaza alongside another soldier who was wearing clothing belonging to Palestinian civilians. The legal group alleged that the individual took part in Israeli military operations which may constitute war crimes under Romanian and international law. The submission referred to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants issued for senior Israeli officials, and urged Romanian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under the Rome Statute, which Romania has ratified. It also referenced the Romanian Criminal Code's provisions on war crimes and crimes against humanity. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Under domestic and international law, if a suspected war criminal is on Romanian soil, the country's legal system must respond, ICJP said. ICJP's legal team requested that Romanian police detain the individual, seize their electronic devices for forensic examination, and initiate a full criminal investigation. "No one who commits international crimes should be able to travel the world with impunity," said Tayab Ali, director of ICJP. "Romania now has a legal and moral duty to act. War crimes must be met with justice." Global 195 was launched last week as an international coalition to pursue legal action around the world against Israelis and Israeli dual nationals accused of involvement in suspected war crimes in Gaza. Are Netanyahu and Gallant immune from ICC arrest warrants under international law? Read More » The 195 figure refers to the number of countries under the jurisdiction of international criminal law. ICJP has collected 135 eyewitness testimonies from Gaza that corroborated open-source material taken across the besieged enclave, Ali said at Global 195's launch last week. He said that suspected individuals may have perpetrated war crimes including indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, destruction of civilian infrastructure, attacks on designated 'safe zones', mass displacement policies and use of starvation against a civilian population. This latest legal project is one of several that have been launched since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in 2023. Last month, MEE spoke to Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has been pursuing legal cases against Israeli soldiers suspected of perpetrating war crimes. Like the ICJP, Jahjah said their foundation had compiled over 8,000 pieces of evidence from social media related to alleged war crimes by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
Morocco World
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Lawyers Establish ‘Global 195' Coalition to Cease Israeli Impunity in Palestine
Rabat – The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) announced on March 18 the launch of the 'Global 195' initiative; which aims to establish a 'global network of accountability' against Israelis and dual nationals involved in committing war crimes in Gaza through domestic and international legal mechanisms. Global 195 will focus on individuals from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) as well as key Israeli political and military figures, including policymakers and operational personnel responsible for violations of international law. Countries participating in the coalition include Malaysia, Türkiye, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United Kingdom. The coalition plans on applying for private arrest warrants and initiating legal proceedings in various jurisdictions. According to the announcement, preparations are already underway in the United Kingdom to pursue legal action against British citizens suspected of involvement in war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. The evidence for the initiative comes from ICJP's 'Justice for Gaza' investigation, which has collected over 135 eyewitness testimonies from across Gaza corroborated by open-source material, all meeting criminal legal standards required by UK and international courts. The evidence shows patterns of systematic violations, including indiscriminate bombardments of civilians, targeting of vital infrastructure, and attacks on refugee camps. The coalition has also gathered data showing attacks on designated 'safe zones' and the use of starvation as a weapon of war were part of a coordinated strategy. At a launch event in London, ICJP Director Tayab Ali paid tribute to the 404 Palestinians killed in Israel's latest attacks on Gaza, earlier on the same day. 'Today's events are a reminder of why initiatives like Global 195 are essential towards creating some form of accountability as this genocide continued unabated and supported by western governments and global corporations,' said Ali. Ali pointed out the failure of international institutions to prosecute Israeli war criminals and the role of civil society in filling this gap. 'Impunity for grave international crimes is not legally sustainable,' Ali said. 'Where states fail to act, we must ensure justice is pursued.' ICJP's efforts are supported by various civil society organizations, including ICJ Norway and Defend International Law, who issued a joint statement calling for an independent investigation in order to 'combat impunity for atrocity crimes regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or the victim.' 'We are convinced that such crimes have been committed in Gaza. This complaint should now lead to independent and impartial investigations of the alleged war crimes, also by prosecutors in third States assigned with extraterritorial jurisdiction,' stated the civil society organizations. The coalition's efforts echo previous initiatives like those of the Belgium based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF); which focuses on 'offensive legal action against perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.' The foundation's name and work are a eulogy to the memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child who was brutally and deliberately murdered by Israel last year. Hind's entire family was killed before her eyes, and she was murdered shortly after while she was emergency services for help on the phone. The HRF had previously filed complaints against several IOF soldiers while they are outside of Israel in order to insure that those involved in the genocide in Gaza are held accountable for their crimes; including Ghassan Alian who allegedly supervised and implemented the humanitarian aid and electricity blockade to the enclave.
Middle East Eye
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Legal coalition to pursue Israelis accused of war crimes around the world
Lawyers have launched a global coalition to pursue legal action around the world against Israelis and Israeli dual nationals accused of involvement in suspected war crimes in Gaza. At a launch event in London on Tuesday, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) said the Global 195 initiative would seek to use domestic and international legal mechanisms to seek justice against Israeli soldiers and others 'spanning the entire Israeli military and political chain of command'. Speaking at a press conference, Tayab Ali, director of the ICJP, began his remarks by paying tribute to the hundreds of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes after it broke the ceasefire with Hamas in the early hours of Tuesday morning. 'Today's events are a reminder of why initiatives like Global 195 are essential towards creating some form of accountability as this genocide continued unabated and supported by western governments and global corporations,' Ali said. 'The obstruction of international legal institutions in pursuing individuals responsible for war crimes in Palestine, coupled with the failure of national police forces to fulfil their obligations under humanitarian law and universal jurisdiction principles, has allowed impunity for Israeli suspected war criminals to persist. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'Under international law, states have a duty to investigate and prosecute war crimes, yet these obligations have been systematically neglected. The launch of Global 195 is a necessary legal intervention to remedy this failure.' Ali added that the Global 195 initiative would target figures ranging 'from senior policymakers to operational personnel, who are directly or indirectly responsible for violations of international law'. Eyewitness testimonies He noted that the ICJP had collected 135 eyewitness testimonies from Gaza that corroborated open-source material taken across the besieged enclave. The evidence, according to Ali, includes individuals who may have perpetrated war crimes that include indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, destruction of civilian infrastructure, attacks on designated 'safe zones', mass displacement policies and use of starvation against a civilian population. The ICJP added that it had been working with former detectives from London's Metropolitan Police to ensure that the evidence it collects meets a high standard and can be used in future cases. The press conference included legal scholars from Bosnia, Canada, Malaysia, Norway and Turkey, who will be working with the ICJP in bringing cases against nationals suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation: Pursuing Israeli soldiers worldwide for Gaza war crimes Read More » Shane Martinez, who heads the ICJP's branch in Canada, said several Canadian lawyers were working to prosecute Canadian nationals and charities who are fundraising or fighting for the Israeli army. This latest project is one of several that have been launched since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in 2023. Last month, MEE spoke to Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has been pursuing legal cases against Israeli soldiers suspected of perpetrating war crimes. Like the ICJP, Jahjah said their foundation had compiled over 8,000 pieces of evidence from social media related to alleged war crimes by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation is named in honour of a six-year-old Palestinian girl whose tragic death at the hands of Israeli soldiers on 29 January 2024 has become symbolic of the widespread violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israeli forces. An investigation in June revealed that Rajab and six of her family members were targeted with 335 Israeli army bullets as they attempted to flee northern Gaza in their car.
The National
18-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Global network of lawyers to pursue Israeli soldiers in courts
A global network of 195 lawyers and legal organisations has come together to file criminal complaints and investigate Israeli war crimes privately in courts around the world. The coalition, named Global 195, will seek the arrest and prosecution of high-ranking Israeli officials including dual nationals who serve in the Israeli military. It is being led by the UK-based legal charity International Centre for Justice for Palestinians, led by solicitor Tayab Ali, and will bring in lawyers from Malaysia, Turkey, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and the UK. They will draw on alleged war crimes compiled in a shared library of evidence by the ICJP. 'Under international law, states have a duty to investigate and prosecute war crimes, yet these obligations have been systematically neglected. The launch of Global 195 is a necessary legal intervention to remedy this failure,' Mr Ali said on Tuesday. The group's aim is to 'bridge the gap' left by international institutions and state actors who are 'failing' to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes committed against Palestinians, a statement from the coalition said. 'Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza are subject to legal accountability and no longer have anywhere to hide.' The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. In the UK, the ICJP is already working to pursue British members of the Israeli military who are suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. The evidence library includes 135 first hand witness accounts from across Gaza which are supported by open source intelligence. Former Metropolitan Police detectives are also understood to have advised on the creation of the archive so that it could meet the standards of evidence required by the UK, as well as international criminal courts and tribunals. The ICJP said its archive confirms a 'pattern of systematic violations' including the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, attacks on designated safe zones, air strikes on refugee camps, enforced mass displaced and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. 'We are convinced that such crimes have been committed in Gaza. This complaint should now lead to independent and impartial investigations of the alleged war crimes, also by prosecutors in third States assigned with extraterritorial jurisdiction,' said a joint statement from Norwegian pressure groups ICJ Norway and Defend International.
