KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 — MyAqsa Foundation Malaysia (MyAqsa), an advocate group for justice and human rights has submitted war crimes evidence and testimony against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, yesterday.
MyAqsa chairman Suwardi Yaacob said a team of esteemed lawyers and human rights activists, led by Professor Datuk Rahmat Mohamad, alongside lawyers, Lukman Sheriff Alias and Azril Mohd Amin, officially lodged this petition yesterday.
“The submission was meticulously compiled by MyAqsa’s team of researchers and submitted to highlight and address the alarming crimes against humanity and genocide committed in various healthcare facilities within Gaza,” he said in a statement today.
He said the submission is focused on the deplorable attacks and bombardment inflicted upon essential medical institutions, namely al-Shifa Hospital, al-Quds Hospital, Indonesia Hospital and the al-Ahl Hospital, all situated in Gaza.
“The submitted dossier spans 52 comprehensive pages, outlining the procedural history, relevant legal framework and a detailed chronicle of the atrocities committed by the accused party that has caused thousands of deaths, injuries and the loss of houses of innocent Palestinians,” he added.
Suwardi said the collection of evidence was done with the assistance of the Palestinian government, which comprises corroborated video and pictures and a number of direct testimonies of highly credible people who witnessed first-hand atrocities committed at the relevant time.
He added that MyAqsa was willing to provide further details if the ICC which requires further strengthening of the case along the lines of evidence that has been submitted.
“With the submission of this complaint petition, MyAqsa truly believes that there are more than reasonable grounds for the issuance of an arrest warrant against the accused individual. MyAqsa calls for the formal charging of the accused person for the alleged crimes under Article 61 of the Rome Statute with urgency.
“We implore the initiation of a thorough investigation by the ICC based on the information and evidence as provided in accordance with Articles 15 and 53 of the Rome Statute. From MyAqsa’s perspective, there is compelling evidence for the ICC to already initiate and complete its investigation,” he added.
MyAqsa demands the ICC to pursue its investigation immediately and without delay as it must be seen to act without fear or favour because it has acted expeditiously before, with less compelling public evidence of past atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza.
“We stand united in pursuit of justice for all Palestinians impacted by these egregious violations of international law and stand with others in the call for the ICC to act in the most expeditious manner to hold those responsible accountable for the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” he added. — Bernama
