by Israel National News
France opens a war crimes probe into Israel’s alleged mistreatment of French activists bound for Gaza.
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| Gaza flotilla (archive) Aaed Tayeh/Flash 90 |
French judicial authorities have initiated a preliminary inquiry into allegations of war crimes and torture involving the reported abuse of French citizens by Israeli forces during the recent interception of an anti-Israel Gaza flotilla, Reuters reported.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) confirmed the development on Friday, following an official report submitted by the French Foreign Ministry on May 28. This referral was executed under Article 40 of the French criminal procedure code, a statutory mandate requiring state officials to formally notify the justice system of any suspected criminal activities or offenses.
The legal case stems from Israel's military interdiction of the flotilla last month. The participants in the flotilla claimed they were navigating toward the Gaza Strip to transport humanitarian relief supplies and to directly contest Israel's naval blockade of the territory.
Responsibility for the ongoing war crimes and torture investigation has been handed over to the OCLCH, which serves as France's central law enforcement agency for confronting hate crimes and violations against humanity, according to Reuters.
Government officials in Jerusalem have rejected all accusations of mistreatment and Reuters noted it could not verify the assertions of abuse through independent means.
Several other governments, including Italy, Germany, Ireland and Canada, have publicly denounced Israel's handling of the flotilla.
Israel National News
Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428192
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