The German government is being sued for aiding genocide in Gaza
Victims of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have been filing a criminal complaint with a German court for months against senior officials in the German government for supporting “Israeli war crimes and genocide” against the Palestinians.
Lawyers for the Gaza victims said, in a press conference held on Friday, the German capital, Berlin, “We’re filing a criminal complaint against German government officials on charges of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, by supplying Israel with weapons and issuing the relevant export permits”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and Economy Minister Robert Habeck are all accused of “complicity in genocide in Gaza” by supporting the Israeli military offensive and allowing the export of weapons to Israel worth 326 million Euros ($350 million).
Among the lawyers who filed a criminal complaint with federal prosecutors in the city of Karlsruhe, southwestern Germany, is lawyer Nadia Sammour.
Sammour said, “Our governments in Europe have a legal obligation not to provide any support to Israel to commit the current genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.
She stressed “the necessity of stopping support for Israel, and this is what we hope to achieve by heading to the court”.
Sammour explained, “This lawsuit sends a clear message to German officials saying: You cannot continue to remain complicit in such a crime without consequences… We want to hold you accountable”.
She pointed out that “German law requires that there be a reason for initial suspicion to begin investigations into a possible crime being committed”.
Sammour pointed out, “The interim ruling of the International Court of Justice clearly demonstrated that there is a basis for initial suspicion when it comes to the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.
In reference to the ruling issued on January 26, which orders the Israeli government to stop genocide and take the necessary steps to ensure that civilians in Gaza receive humanitarian aid.
Sammour said, “This trial, in the Karlsruhe court, will contribute to pushing German government officials to use their influence and all available legal means to influence Israel with the aim of preventing it from committing acts of genocide against the Palestinian people”.
The legal initiative, presented by German lawyers, was supported by the civil society group of the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), in addition to the Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and the Law for Palestine Organization, within the framework of the Justice and Accountability for Palestine international Initiative.
