TPM: “ISRAEL DOESN’T RECOGNISE HUMAN RIGHTS”
Jakarta, 17 Jumadil Akhir 1435/17 April 2014 (MINA) – Board Trustees of the Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM), Achmad Michdan said it seems Israel doesnt recognize human rights following their continuation violation related to the 2010 “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” acitvists.
“Especially with human rights that does not recognised by Israel, it requires more legal thought to compromise with such case,” said Achmad Michdan on Wednesday (16/4).
The “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” was a group of ships organised by six organisations, namely, the Free Gaza Movement, the Turkish Foundation for Human rights, Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), European Campaign to end the siege of Gaza, Ship to Gaza-Greece, Ship to Gaza-Sweden, the International Committee to end the siege of Gaza, and other groups who concern in Palestine’s issues as they’re suffering of Israel’s continuation siege such as Indonesian Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C).
In their efforts to send aid to the blockade Gaza, Israeli attacks on the innocent Comorro-flagged ship then killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American and wounded at least 156 volunteers, with 52 of them experienced serious injuries.
Nine volunteers who died were citizens of Turkey, namely Furkan Doğan, Cevdet Kılıçlar, İbrahim Bilgen, Necdet Yildirim, Fahri Yaldiz, Ali Haydar Bengi, Cengiz Akyuz, Çetin Topçuoglu, Cengiz Songür, and a journalist Cevdet Kılıçlar.
Since then, the activists as well as Comorro itself is on their efforts to bring Israel into Criminal Court, as the latest (fifth) hearing of the trial was held at the İstanbul 7th High Criminal Court on Monday with some of the survivors, victims’ family members and lawyers representing the Israeli military members and flotilla victims in attendance.
The trial began on Nov. 6 of last year and saw the attendance of a large number of attorneys from both Turkey and abroad as well as the flotilla activists and families of the victims. The court is hearing charges that were filed against four of Israel’s most senior retired commanders, including the ex-army chief, in absentia. Prosecutors are requesting life imprisonment for the officers who directed the raid, but the trial of four of Israel’s most senior retired commanders was dismissed by Israel as a politically motivated “show trial” and threatens to further strain already strained relations.
“Rights of the Palestinian people was oppressed and manipulated, then the humanitarian activists propagators in many countries flocked to Palestine through international waters to pay attention, but then ended with an ambush by Israeli ships, several people were shot and some were killed,” said Michdan.
He goes on saying, from the jurisdiction of the law, the Mavi Marmara case is clearly Israeli international crime, and international judicial should involved in the case.
Meanwhile Adnan Wirawan, the TPM member from Indonesia who made observations on the Mavi Marmara trials pointed out that such hearing for the case would be much harder, especially as Israel has own international backs up.(L/P04/P03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
