Union of Turkish Bar Associations files complaint against Israel at the International Criminal Court: 'A total extermination campaign'

Union of Turkish Bar Associations President Erinç Sağkan made statements regarding the war crimes occurring in Israel. 

"A TOTAL EXTERMINATION CAMPAIGN"

Sağkan said the following in the press statement they organized:

"The Israeli government has elevated its long-standing policies of occupation, isolation, and massacre to the level of a crime against humanity that will never be forgotten in history by targeting the Gaza Strip, where 2.5 million people live, in its entirety with the advanced technology and high military power it possesses. From the very first moment, the TBB has expressed its reaction at the highest level against Israel's actions that violate international criminal law and humanitarian law. We have shared with the public from the first day our assessment that Israel is conducting a total extermination campaign against the entire Palestinian people without discrimination by implementing a large-scale siege, preventing Palestinians in Gaza from accessing basic needs such as electricity, water, and food. The silence of the international community, and especially the international political institution, has caused thousands of people from the civilian population, primarily unarmed women, children, and the elderly, to lose their lives and homes on Palestinian lands for nearly 50 days. At the point we have reached today, international institutions and politicians from various countries who remain indifferent to the inhumane activities of the Israeli government also bear the burden of what has happened" 

"OUR HUMANITARIAN AND CONSCIENTIOUS RESPONSIBILITY"

Stating that they have made a new initiative as the TBB today and have filed an application with the International Criminal Court regarding the crimes committed by Israel, Sağkan spoke as follows:

"As is known, there was an investigation into Israel initiated by the prosecutor of the time, Bensouda, before the International Criminal Court in 2012. However, the current prosecutor, Karim Khan, has still not expanded the scope of the existing investigation regarding the crimes following October 7, 2023. We believe that Mr. Khan's failure to make a statement pointing to an investigation regarding Gaza until now has encouraged Israel to commit war crimes. For this reason, requesting that the existing investigation be expanded to cover what has happened in the last 50 days is an urgent necessity as well as our humanitarian and conscientious responsibility."

"PALESTINE HAS BECOME A PARTY TO THE ROME STATUTE"

Sağkan noted that the International Criminal Court was established by an international document known as the Rome Statute and that it has jurisdiction over crimes regulated in the Rome Statute and the Geneva Convention, which regulates international war law.

Sağkan stated, "The jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court is limited to the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Furthermore, the International Criminal Court does not judge states, but the individuals who commit these crimes. The International Criminal Court is authorized regarding the crimes committed in Gaza. Because in 2015, the Palestinian authority became a party to the Rome Statute. For this reason, the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction regarding crimes committed on Palestinian territory" he said.