IHH PRESIDENT SAYS MAVI MARMARA VICTIMS WILL NEVER BACKTRACK ON TRIAL

Istanbul, 11 Rajab 1434/20 Mei 2013 (MINA) – The president of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH) Bulent Yildirim stated on Monday (20/5) that the victims of an Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship in 2010 will never backtrack on their legal fight against Israeli military officers.

Speaking to press ahead of a the fifth trial of the Mavi Marmara case at Istanbul’s Caglayan Court on Monday, Yildirim said families of the victims and the IHH will never backtrack on the case and will continue to protest against Israel until the blockade is lifted on Palestine, the Todays Zaman quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Also Read: OIC Regrets Australia's Decision to End Direct Financial Aid to Palestine

Yildirim added that if their demand is not met by the court and Israeli officials are excused for their hostile acts, then the whole world will see how they are going to take the streets to protest against the decision.

The criminal charges against the Israeli soldiers are within the scope of public prosecution, so they can only be dropped by a decision of the prosecutors, and any international agreement made with Israel will not have an effect on them.

If the trials are dropped in Turkey, the families and their lawyers said, they will continue their struggle in international judicial institutions such as the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Also Read: TURKEY AND SOUTH KOREA: BLOOD BROTHERS FOR 60 YEARS

The MV Mavi Marmara was purchased in 2010 by the IHH, a Turkish NGO active in a charity organization in more than 115 countries .

Israel’s Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an NGO which has close ties to the Israeli Defense Forces, along with multiple Israeli governmental officials have alleged that the IHH supports terrorism, has smuggled arms on behalf of terrorist groups, and has links to al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups.

The IHH denies these claims. Greta Berlin, a director of the Free Gaza Movement, called the claims “utterly scurrilous”, characterizing them as an attempt by the Israeli government to discredit the movement.

In the end of May 2010, the Mavi marmara took part in a flotilla of ships operated by activist groups from 37 different countries with the intention of directly confronting the Israeli blockade over Gaza.

Also Read: UAE Launches World's First Halal e-Learning Portal

Reports from journalists on the ship and from the UN report on the Mavi Marmara ship incident in international waters concluded that the Israeli military opened fire with live rounds before boarding the ship.

Passengers on the ship actively attempted to thwart a landing on the ship by Israeli commandos, brandishing home-made weapons. In the violent clash that followed, nine activists were killed, and several dozen activists were injured. (T/P09/P04).

Mi’raj NewsAgency (MINA)