HCHR_The international congress on “the occupation of Palestine from the perspective of international law and violation of humanitarian rights in Gaza”, was held on Thursday, March 7, 2024, with the presence of the Head of the Judiciary, the Vice-President of the Judiciary for International Affairs, the Head of the Red Crescent Society, the Head of the International Congress on the Occupation of Palestine, and more than 30,000 Iranian and international professors, researchers and lawyers, in person and virtually.
In this meeting, Gharibabadi noted: “What we are witnessing in the occupied Palestine during the last 5 months, especially in the Gaza Strip, is the result of the Palestinian forces' resistance to subverting all the structures of the Zionist regime”.
He added: “The various structures of the Zionist regime, especially the security, intelligence and military, showed that they are very ineffective as a result of this resistance”.
The Palestinian people, who are under aggression and occupation, have the right to self defense
The Secretary-General of the HCHR stated: “On the other hand, a storm was created in the international arena, especially in the field of international public opinion, when the people of the world became familiar with the depth of the Zionist regime's crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people after 76 years”.
Gharibabadi added: “The right to self-defense does not exist for the Zionist regime. The claim that they were attacked on October 7, 2023 and have the right to defend themselves is not acceptable in terms of international law”.
The Vice President of the Judiciary stated: “We are witnessing two situations in Palestine: The people who are under aggression and occupation and the occupying regime. The United
Nations Charter has not recognized the right of self-defense for the occupying regime in any way, and the people who are under aggression and occupation have the right to self-defense”.
Gharibabadi continued: “The decision and methods of this right to defense are their responsibility and they can decide what methods to resort to in order to get rid of this occupying regime”.
Over the past 5 months, more than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been martyred
He emphasized: “The killing of civilians including innocent women and children in Gaza Strip and the destruction of civilian places are not military superiority of the Zionist regime. This regime has not achieved any of its strategic goals during these few months”.
Referring to the situation in Gaza, the Secretary-General of the HCHR said: “We have been witnessing this situation in Palestine for decades and before October 7, 2023; that is 76 years of occupation and rape, 7000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, some of whom sentenced to up to 300 years imprisonment, more than 100 thousand martyrs and hundreds of thousands of injured and wounded people, displacement of 7 million Palestinians, and more than 3 thousand terror operations by the Zionist regime. More than 500 resolutions have been issued against the Zionist Regime in international organizations, 60 of which were vetoed by the United States in the Security Council. During the last 5 months, more than 30,000 people, mostly women and children, were martyred, and more than 72,000 people were injured, and thousands of buildings and infrastructure were also destroyed. This is the situation we are witnessing in occupied Palestine.
Stating that the Zionist Regime's recourse to legal instruments, including the right to self-defense, has no place, Gharibabadi noted: "even regardless of the time before October 7 2023, the crimes of the Zionist regime in the last 5 months are the heaviest crimes in the history of mankind."
The crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza are among international criminal crimes
He added: “All the crimes that were committed in the Gaza Strip are mainly classified as international criminal crimes, such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and ethnic and racial cleansing. These crimes took place in the first week and continued during the 5 months”.
Gharibabadi stated: “From the aspect of human rights, the Zionist regime has violated all the principles of human rights. The right to life, which is a fundamental human right, along with other economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights, were violated by this regime”.
He emphasized: “What is more regrettable is the lack of action by countries claiming human rights and international bodies, including human rights bodies. Maybe some international organizations have taken positions, but if you put their contradictions and political behavior in relation to some other countries in the field of human rights, you will see how double standards prevail in international human rights organizations”.
The Secretary General of the HCHR continued: “The UN Human Rights Council, which issues resolutions against independent countries for any issue, has not held any emergency meeting regarding Palestine”.
A great wealth called public opinion in support of the defenseless people of Palestine was gained
Gharibabadi said: “In the discussion of South Africa's lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, we see how Germany, which claims human rights, came to the scene in defense of the Zionist regime to confront this legal action. This is the German who accuses Iran of violating human rights, gave chemical weapons to Saddam and killed or injured tens of thousands of our compatriots”.
He clarified: “In the field of international humanitarian law, non-attack on civilians and civilian places, as well as the principles of separation and proportionality, have been emphasized, but in the past few months, all these principles have been violated, along with the provisions of the four Geneva conventions.
The Vice President of the Judiciary noted: “In this situation, we are witnessing the inaction of the countries claiming human rights, but a great capital was obtained as public opinion. Until 5 months ago Muslim nations were protesting, now non-Muslim nations are also on the scene. There is no country whose public opinion has not protested against the Zionist regime and has not come to the streets, especially the people of those countries that claim human rights. This shows that there is a big gap between the people and their statesmen, and people in the claimant countries are not satisfied with the behavioral contradictions of their rulers, and this is a great wealth.
Dozens of journalists were martyred by the Zionist regime
Referring to the effective role of the media, Gharibabadi said: “Although dozens of journalists were martyred by the Zionist regime and many restrictions were imposed on them, we saw that due to the strong role of the media, the whole world was informed about these crimes, their feelings were stimulated and they appeared on streets. I think what we can invest in is international public opinion, so that, God willing, it will prevent the continuation of the crimes of the Zionist regime”.
Regarding the role of the Islamic countries, the Secretary General of the HCHR said: Holy Quds and the Palestinian issue are always the aspiration of the Islamic countries and their unifying factor. Fortunately, in the past few months, we have seen the good positions of the Islamic countries, but we have not seen any practical action. Islamic countries must turn their words and positions into actions.
Gharibabadi clarified: “Action means to approve executive resolutions. In the Organization of the Islamic Conference, we have a resolution that goods related to the Zionist regime should be embargoed, and this resolution is renewed every year. This resolution must be implemented by Islamic countries. On the other hand, the sale of oil by Islamic countries to the Zionist regime should be banned and political relations with this regime should be suspended.