Sharon May Not Be Alone- More Human Rights Suits May Be Filed By Belgium
7-28-1
"Israel has received reports that similar lawsuits could be filed soon against army Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz and his air force commander, Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz, for alleged human rights violations in the Palestinian territories in recent months," the Israeli Army Radio said.
JERUSALEM (UPI) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has hired a Belgian lawyer to defend him in a lawsuit that holds him responsible for the 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanese camps, Israeli Army Radio reported Thursday.
Sharon was the minister of defense when Israeli troops occupied Beirut and allowed the Christian Phalange militia to invade the camps. More than 2,000 Palestinians were killed and hundreds of women were raped before being murdered.
Later an Israeli judicial inquiry held Sharon indirectly responsible for the killings because he did not stop the militia from invading the Sabra and Chatilla camps.
A judge in Brussels is investigating whether Sharon can be tried in Belgium for the massacre.
A Lebanese lawyer Shabli Mallat and two Belgian attorneys filed the case against Sharon on behalf of 23 Palestinian and Lebanese surviving families in a court in Brussels. A 1993 law gives Belgian courts jurisdiction over violations of the Geneva war crimes convention no matter where they happened, even if they involve no Belgian nationals.
Elie Hobeika, a former commander of the Lebanese Christian militia accused of having led the invasion, said Thursday he was ready to appear before the Belgian court to prove his innocence.
"Israel has received reports that similar lawsuits could be filed soon against army Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz and his air force commander, Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz, for alleged human rights violations in the Palestinian territories in recent months," the Israeli Army Radio said.
The report said that the Israeli ministry for foreign affairs has received several requests from serving and past military officials to identify the European states where they might face similar legal actions, said the Jerusalem newspaper Ha'aretz.
They fear that they may be arrested for alleged crimes against humanirty if they traveled to states like Belgium, Spain and Britain where courts have vast powers for dealing with such cases.
Soon after the lawsuit against Sharon, human rights groups in Denmark urged Israel to withdraw its ambassador-designate, Carmi Gillon, from Copenhagen because they believe he favors using torture against political prisoners. In a recent interview Gillon advocated using "moderate physical pressure" against prisoners suspected of terrorist attacks.
Denmark is the home of the Danish Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, a leading international lobby against torture and for the rehabilitation of torture victims. A Danish public opinion survey published this week showed that 55 percent of Danes are against Gillon's appointment, while 75 percent regard "moderate physical pressure" as torture.
Israel said Wednesday that it still intends to send Gillon to Denmark, despite a warning that he could face arrest there.
Justice Minister Frank Jensen hinted earlier this week that Gillon could have been arrested in Denmark for violating a United Nations convention against torture if he were not going there as a diplomat.
However, Danish courts could yet decide that the U.N. treaty against torture overrides the Vienna Treaty, which grants diplomats immunity, Ha'aretz reported.
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