HCHR_ Kazem Gharibabadi, the Vice-President of the Judiciary for International Affairs and the Secretary-general of the High Council for Human Rights of the I.R, at the meeting on "Examination of the Role of International Humanitarian Law regarding the Tragedies in Gaza, the Violations and Solutions", which was attended by the head of the Red Crescent Society, the representative of Hamas and a number of Palestinian lawyers and media members in the center of Red Crescent Society, said: "The crimes of the Zionist regime are not limited to the recent crime which has been going on for 32 days, but during the 75 years of occupation, there have been widespread crimes that have left hundreds of thousands of martyrs and injured and millions of displaced people”. He added: “It is impossible to examine the current situation in Gaza without looking at the crimes of this regime in the past seven decades”.
Gharibabadi noted: “In the past month, we witnessed that the Zionist regime was not alone in these crimes, but had the support of the United States regime. The bitter irony of history is that the US regime and its supporters consider themselves to be human rights defenders and claimants, while instead of standing against the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, they gave it a full support. On the other hand, the United States demands restraint from others, but at the same time stands by the Zionist regime as a party to the war.
Regarding the claim of the Zionist regime on the right to self-defense against the attack of the Resistance Forces, Gharibabadi said: “In the context of International Law, this right exists only for the people of Gaza, who have been under oppression, siege and occupation for more than seven decades. The claim of the Zionist regime about the right to self-defense has no basis, because it is an aggressor and an occupier, and therefore, from the legal point of view, such a right is neither foreseen nor legitimate for such a regime.
Referring to the extent of the crimes committed by the Zionist regime, the Secretary-General of the HCHR noted: “This regime has committed genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic and racial cleansing”.
Also, regarding the number of victims of the Zionist regime's crimes in the past 32 days and comparing it with the number of Palestinian martyrs in the past 75 years, Gharibabadi added: “Out of the 10,000 martyrs in the past 30 days, 70% of them have been women and children. As human rights claimants and despite their permanent claims on defending the rights of women and children, western countries have kept silent on this issue. The use of prohibited weapons such as white phosphorus, forced migration, extermination of the population by banning the entry of food and medicine into the region, and the siege and imprisonment of the population of Gaza since October 8, are examples of crimes committed by the Zionist regime based on International Criminal Law. During this period, we witnessed the bombing of civilian places such as homes, educational and religious places, and hospitals, which are examples of international criminal crimes”.
Gharibabadi expressed concern that although the goal of International Humanitarian Law is to limit the war in case of occurrence, send humanitarian aid to the victims and reduce their pain and suffering, none of these goals have been achieved during the Gaza war.
“The principles of the Geneva Conventions have also been violated in the Zionist regime's war against the defenseless people of Gaza”, the Secretary-General emphasized. “With its crimes, the Zionist regime has impaired the prestige of International, Human Rights and Humanitarian Rights Organizations and Mechanisms. The UN Security Council, too, failed to take any action in order to end these crimes. Although the resolution of the General Assembly was a good measure, it wasn’t effective enough to stop the crimes. The Gaza Strip has become a great exhibition of crimes and violations of International Laws and Rights”, he added.
Expressing disappointment with the International Community and emphasizing the important role of international public opinion, the Vice-President of the Judiciary in International Affairs reminded: “In the current situation, there is a high expectation that the States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), regardless of their political differences, unite to stand against the crimes committed by the Zionist regime. We hope that practical measures in order to help the Palestinian people will be taken in the forthcoming meeting of the OIC in Jeddah.
At the end, he stressed: “The Zionist regime should be impeached for its crimes, in various courts and by forming a network of lawyers. The complaint case against the Zionist regime should be activated in the International Criminal Court; the Palestinian government, together with the international communities, must put pressure on the court's prosecutor; and the capacity to file a lawsuit against the Zionist regime under the International Human Rights Treaties, of which the regime is a member, such as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, should be activated”.