Madrid, MINA – Spanish activist Sergio Toribio has filed a criminal complaint with Spain’s National Court on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several high-ranking military officials. The complaint concerns an attack on the humanitarian mission vessel, the Madleen.
According to Anadolu Agency, the lawsuit accuses the Israeli officials of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the interception of the Madleen on June 9. The ship was carrying humanitarian aid as part of the Freedom Flotilla.
“The ship was intercepted 100 nautical miles away, in international waters. We were completely kidnapped by special combat units… We were forcibly taken to Tel Aviv and handed over to the authorities without having committed any crime,” Toribio told reporters outside the courthouse.
“These actions, according to Spanish law, constitute war crimes in the context of the systematic attack on the Palestinian population in Gaza and those attempting to help them,” Jaume Asens, the organization’s lawyer in Spain, told the Spanish news agency, EFE.
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The legal action invokes Spain’s principle of universal jurisdiction and is structured in two parts: a personal lawsuit filed by Toribio as a direct victim and a popular accusation supported by the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause (CSCA).
In addition to Netanyahu, the complaint names Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and other high-ranking officials involved in the raid.
Eleven activists and one journalist were aboard the Madleen, including Toribio, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan.
According to organizers, the vessel was carrying essential supplies for Gaza, including baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, sanitary products, water desalination equipment, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics.
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The complaint calls for a judicial investigation, testimony from international witnesses, and the issuance of arrest warrants for those named.
The lawsuit comes amid escalating violence in Gaza. Spanish television station RTVE reported that Israeli forces killed at least 81 Palestinians on Thursday morning, including 30 people waiting for food aid. Nearly 56,000 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli attacks. [Shibgho]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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