Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Head of the Russian delegation to the talks in Turkey: The Russian-Ukrainian talks yielded good results.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: Martyrs and wounded after an IOF aircraft bombed a house in Tal al-Zaatar, north of the Gaza Strip.
Libya: The Libyan Ministry of Health declares a state of maximum emergency in all hospitals to support medical staff working in Tripoli and its suburbs.
Libya: Demonstrations in several Libyan cities demand the overthrow of the Dbeibah government.
Italian Foreign Ministry: We are following developments in Libya with concern and reiterate our call for all parties to return to calm and dialogue.
Libya: Demonstration in Bani Walid calls for the overthrow of the Dbeibah government and holding it accountable.
Libya: Sabratha Municipal Council supports the overthrow of the Dbeibah government and calls on it to leave.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: The IOF is carrying out massive bombing operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Tunisian Foreign Ministry: We renew our call for an immediate end to the escalation in all parts of Libya.
Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We express our deep concern over the dangerous security developments in the Libyan capital.

EU President must face war crimes charges: Albanese

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Intercept
  • 4 May 2025 02:31
  • 13 Shares
3 Min Read

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has called for top EU officials, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to face prosecution for complicity in war crimes in Gaza.

Listen
  • x
  • UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights Situation in the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese holds a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 5, 2025
    UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights Situation in the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese holds a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 5, 2025. (AFP)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials should face prosecution for complicity in war crimes committed during "Israel’s" war on Gaza, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has advocated.

In an exclusive interview with The Intercept, Albanese argued that their political and diplomatic support for "Israel" amounts to aiding and abetting crimes under international law.

“They will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity,” Albanese said. “I’m not someone who says, ‘History will judge them’ — they will have to be judged before then.”

A complaint was filed at the ICC against EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for complicity in war crimes in Gaza, as critics accuse top EU officials, including foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, of supporting "Israel's" actions despite international legal obligations to prevent genocide.

Calling Albanese's assessment "entirely correct," Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst and non-resident fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies emphasized that “The 1948 Genocide Convention calls upon signatories to not only punish but also prevent genocide."

The European Commission defended its ties with "Israel" as a means to express concerns and uphold international law, while UN expert Francesca Albanese warned that institutions—including banks and universities—could face individual liability for aiding "Israel’s" actions in Gaza, which she says amount to crimes under international law.

Related News

Stop the genocide or witness end of life in Gaza: UN experts warn

Current Israeli policies in Gaza most extreme since Oct 7: UN experts

Beyond demanding accountability from EU leaders, Albanese said she is working on a report that will expose banks, pension funds, tech companies, and universities for complicity in Gaza’s destruction.

“All those implicated and involved in the unlawful occupation, in providing it with support, are aiding and abetting violations of international law and human rights violations and a number of these amount to crimes,” according to her.

“There can be individual responsibility and individual liability for those who have been aiding and abetting or enabling such crimes.”

Although the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, genocide expert and Middlesex University law professor William Schabas noted that pursuing charges against a high-ranking EU official like Ursula von der Leyen would be unprecedented.

He acknowledged that a case could be made, given her influential role and public support for Israel, but argued it’s unlikely the ICC would pursue it, as the prosecutor has so far limited indictments to Israeli officials. Schabas added that von der Leyen’s stance mirrors that of several EU governments, which continue to offer unwavering support for "Israel" despite mounting evidence of serious crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

Despite downplaying the backlash, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese revealed that she and her family have received death threats since publishing her March 2024 report, Anatomy of a Genocide. 

“I come from a place that taught me that the mafia kills through silence. It kills when people don’t react to it," she said. 

  • Francesca Albanese
  • European Union
  • Europe
  • United Nations
  • Ursula von der Leyen

Most Read

Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP )

Gaza casualty figures mask a much bigger horror, new study shows

  • Politics
  • 11 May 2025
Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza
MENA

Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Trump administration planning to send 1 million Palestinians to Libya

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' concerned, says US withholding info about indirect Iran talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual ceremony at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in occupied al-Quds on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu cancels Vatican visit over fears of ICC arrest

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS