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Sweden’s Young Social Democrats Press Charges Against Sharon
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Sharon faces war crime charges in Sweden |
STOCKHOLM,
June 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The youth wing of the
Swedish Social Democrats has pressed charges against hawkish Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of war crimes and violation of
international law committed during the Israeli army’s recent massive
military offensive in the Palestinian territories.
In
a letter published in the daily Swedish newspaper, Expressen,
the head of the Social Democrats’ youth wing SSU, Mikael Damberg,
said Sweden had “a responsibility to take legal action against those
who violate international law, regardless of by whom, where or against
whom the crimes were committed.”
He
noted that Sweden was a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention on the
protection of civilians in conflicts and prisoners of war.
“It
is particularly important in this case because the Palestinian
authorities cannot investigate, pursue in justice or convict Israelis
for crimes committed in the Palestinian territories,” Damberg said.
“Pressing
charges cannot undo what has been done. But it could prevent new
violations of international law and human rights,” he added.
He
said the charges were related to the most recent Palestinian intifada,
underway since September 2000.
“With
these charges we are showing that Ariel Sharon, his commanders and the
individual soldiers who violate the laws of war that they risk trial
and conviction,” SSU said.
However,
while SSU lawyer Peter Bergquist said the charges “target Sharon
personally”, the police report refers only to “Israel’s highest
political leadership” and does not name Sharon by name.
Others,
however, are mentioned by name: Itzik Eitan, military commander on the
West Bank, Shaul Mofaz, general chief of staff, Amos Yaron, director
general of the defense ministry as well as brigade general Michael
Herzog, military secretary of the defense minister.
The
charges, filed in Stockholm on June 13, cite “the shooting of
ambulances, the use of human shields including children,
hostage-takings, the destruction of civilian property”, among
others.
“The
scale of the above-named violations of international law, such as
shooting of ambulances and destruction of civilian property, are such
that it must be considered certain that the measures were ordered by
Israel’s highest political leadership, the government,” SSU lawyer
Peter Bergquist wrote in the report.
“That
which speaks in favor of opening a preliminary inquiry against Sharon
is the extensive documentation on the crimes committed in the
Palestinian territories. However, it is generally very difficult to
directly link an individual to these kinds of crimes,” Bergquist
told AFP.
Swedish
Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, a member of the Social Democrats, told
Swedish news agency TT she understood there was “both bitterness and
anger because the Israeli government is guilty of violating
international law.”
But,
she added, “we have to remember that the Palestinian side is
[guilty] too.”
Lindh
said she did not believe legal action, “especially in Sweden”, was
the proper way to deal with the issue.
“What
we need now is primarily a political process to achieve peace,” she
said.
If
Swedish prosecutors decide to go ahead with a preliminary inquiry into
the charges, the Swedish government may have to take a decision on the
extradition from Israel to Sweden of Israeli soldiers.
Sweden
is one of only a few countries in the world that allows violent crimes
committed abroad to be tried in Sweden regardless of where the crime
took place.
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