The international meeting titled “Reviewing the Legal Aspects of the Crimes of the Zionist Regime and Its Supporters in Gaza”, was held in the Martyr Beheshti Cultural Complex of the Judiciary, with the presence of Kazem Gharibabadi, the Vice President of the Judiciary for International Affairs and the Secretary General of the High Council for Human Rights and figures, lawyers and jurists from 18 countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, etc. .
At the beginning of this meeting Gharibabadi addressed the issue of the right to self-defense, referring to the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza in the past seven months and noted: “What is happening in Gaza is a war between civilians under occupation and an occupying regime”.
He added: “Based on the principles of international law, the right to self-defense is the right of the people of Gaza to defend themselves against the invaders. The claim of the Zionist regime
about the right to defend itself is a baseless claim and the Al-Aqsa Storm is the result of seven decades of occupation and aggression by the Zionist regime”.
More than 120 thousand people were martyred or injured in Gaza
Calling the October 7 event an important issue and discussing its reasons and roots, the Secretary General of the HCHR noted: “The Palestinian people have been victims of the crimes and aggression of the Zionist regime for more than seven decades. The statistics about the number of Palestinian prisoners and refugees, the number of assassinations planned by the Zionist regime, the number of Palestinian martyred and wounded, and the number of vetoed or unimplemented anti-Zionist resolutions are proof of the continuation of the seven decades of crimes committed by the Zionist regime. Over the past seven months, more than 120,000 people were martyred or injured in Gaza, 70% of whom were women and children. These crimes happened while countries like the United States present themselves as defenders of the rights of women and children and have remained silent against the crimes of the Zionist regime and even accompanied it”.
The Vice President of the Judiciary for International Affairs also pointed to the Rome Statute and said: “The criteria intended for genocide and ethnic cleansing confirm the occurrence of genocide in Gaza. In this statute, depriving an ethnic and racial group of food and medicine is an example of genocide. Considering that the threshold considered for genocide in this Statute is too low, the crimes of the Zionist regime should be defined by another legal equivalent”.
Gharibabadi added: “The Zionist regime has committed crimes that are among international criminal ones, such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Of course, these crimes by the Zionist regime is not limited to the new round of war committed by this regime against Gaza”.
With its all-out support for the Zionist regime, the United States is a partner in the crimes of this regime in Gaza
The Secretary General of the HCHR further emphasized that cutting off water, medicine and food to the people of Gaza is a crime against humanity and a gross violation of human rights. Many rights of the people of Gaza have been violated during the seven months of attacks by the Zionist regime. The right to food, housing, development, self-determination, education, health and medical treatment, and the right to life of the people of Gaza, are among the international human rights that have been violated. None of the human rights claimants have spoken out against this widespread violation of the human rights of the people of Gaza. The Human Rights Council in the framework of its double standards, does not only keep silence but also supports the crimes of the Zionist regime. The U.S. regime is a partner in the crimes of this regime in Gaza with financial, military, political and intelligence support of the Zionist regime”.
He also stated: “Issuing statements is not enough to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime. Supporters of the Zionist regime and the international organizations continue their political approaches and double standards in the field of human rights”.
Gharibabadi continued to discuss the violation of humanitarian rights in Gaza and emphasized: “Not attacking civilian places and people as a humanitarian right has been violated by the Zionist regime in Gaza. It has committed all kinds of crimes against the innocent people of Gaza. What is happening in Gaza goes beyond crime and human rights violations. When it comes to crimes against humanity and war crimes, the occupying regime has committed the worst crimes against the people of Gaza”.
South Africa's action led to the issuance of a Provisional Order by Hague Court
While appreciating South Africa's action to file a complaint against the Zionist regime at the International Court of Justice, Gharibabadi found the issuance of Hague Provisional order useful and said: “This order put heavy pressure on the Zionist regime, although it did not lead to specific measures to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza”.
Pointing to the removal of the religion borders in the issue of defending people of Palestine and also the issue of awakening public opinion on the issue of the Zionist regime's crimes in Gaza, the Secretary General of the HCHR and said: the U.S. universities are the scene of unprecedented protests. The high volume of crimes committed by the Zionist regime and the inaction of human rights claimants led to the formation of a high-pressure movement of public opinion”.
In another part, pointing to the case of the Palestinian complaint against the Zionist regime in the International Criminal Court, he welcomed any action of this court to prosecute Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the Zionist regime and added: “The crimes of the Zionist regime should be documented more seriously”.
Judicial pursuit of the Zionist regime in national courts is very important
Gharibabadi also clarified: “The judicial follow-up of the Zionist regime in national courts is very important. We did this in Iran. It is very important to ask governments to put pressure on the Zionist regime, such as reducing trade relations or cutting off political relations with this regime”.
In the end, the Vice President of the Judiciary expressed hope that these demands will be raised in Islamic and non-Islamic countries. The legal support for the oppressed people of Palestine should continue until the final victory of this oppressed nation”.
In the continuation of this meeting, figures and jurists from other countries also raised issues in condemning the crimes committed by the Zionist regime and supporting the people of Gaza.