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Belgian War Crimes Inquiry Begins as Sharon Prepares Defense
BRUSSELS, July 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A Belgian magistrate has begun hearing plaintiffs in a possible court case against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over his responsibility in 1982 massacres in Lebanon, an attorney said Thursday.
Michael Verhaeghe, acting for a Palestinian woman who escaped the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, said examining magistrate Patrick Collignon interviewed his client.
Israeli radio said Wednesday that the 73-year-old Sharon, who at the time of the massacres was Israel's defense minister, had hired a Belgian defense lawyer in case the lawsuit resulted in a trial.
The case arises from a 1993 Belgian law that stipulates that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, can be tried in Belgian courts, regardless of where they took place, or the nationality or residence of either the victims or the accused.
Sharon initially ignored the possibility of an actual summons before a Belgian court, but other war crimes cases being tried in Europe have stoked fears among Israeli officials that the possibility is more real than they thought, an analyst said in a BBC online report.
Other cases against Israeli officials are also being prepared; Israeli army radio reported that cases involving alleged human rights violations against Palestinians may put current Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz and air force commander Major General Dan Halutz on trial, the BBC's online report said.
Sharon is potentially facing two lawsuits over the massacre of up to 2,000 Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps near Beirut.
The first suit, charging him with responsibility for the deaths, was lodged by an ad hoc group of Palestinian, Lebanese, Moroccan and Belgian nationals.
The second suit, alleging crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, was filed by 23 survivors of the massacres - including the Palestinian woman, Souad Srour, who was interviewed on Thursday - and by five eyewitnesses.
The slaughter was carried out by Christian militiamen at the camps, located in an area controlled by the Israeli military at the time.
Sharon was forced to resign as defense minister after an Israeli investigation in 1983 found him indirectly responsible for the deaths.
Verhaeghe said Thursday that the examining magistrate could possibly summon Sharon to testify during the inquiry.
As a result of the Belgian law, there are now cases pending here against a number of world political figures, including former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, one-time Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and three former Cambodian Khmer Rouge leaders.
Sharon called off a scheduled stop in Belgium during a recent European trip. His office claimed the change was made purely for scheduling reasons, but a Belgian senator said Wednesday that it was the risk of prosecution that kept Sharon away, BBC online reported.
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