S.Korea slaps 7 top IOF officials with 'crimes against humanity' suit
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South Korea's PSPD has filed a "crimes against humanity" lawsuit against several Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
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University students supporting Palestine stage a rally near the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP)
South Korea's People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) hits seven top Israeli occupation officials with a "crimes against humanity" lawsuit with the South Korean Police Investigation Agency.
The officials comprise Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, IOF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
PSPD accuses the Israeli occupation officials of being involved in planning, ordering, and executing crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. These allegations include attacks on humanitarian efforts and distinctive symbols, assaults on medical institutions and ambulances, the use of banned chemical weapons, and employing unlawful warfare tactics, such as starvation.
The lawsuit seeks the prosecution of specific Israeli officials for the crimes committed during the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
The organization is demanding the extradition of the seven officials to South Korea for investigation and prosecution under the country's "Punishment for Crimes Under the Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court Act." The South Korean police will next determine whether to refer the case to the district prosecutor for further action.
On his part, the Israeli occupation Foreign Ministry recommended that Israeli officials who have been considering visiting South Korea must consult with the Ministry beforehand to avoid "unnecessary risk", according to Israeli media.
Ynet reported that Ben-Gvir's office responded to the charges in a statement noting that "Minister Ben-Gvir will continue to assert, loud and clear, that Hamas must be destroyed, to encourage the voluntary emigration of Gazans to other countries, to settle in Gaza – and will continue efforts to arm citizens with personal firearms and establish more and more emergency response teams across Israel."
S. Korean activists urge arms embargo on 'Israel' over crimes in Gaza
Last month, on the Global Day of Action, South Korean activists staged a "die-in" protest in Seoul to symbolize solidarity with the victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, urging their government to cease arms exports that contribute to the Israeli genocidal war, Iran's PressTV reported.
The activists called on the South Korean government to end its arms trade with "Israel" and urged automotive manufacturer Hyundai to halt the sale of equipment destined for the demolition of Palestinian homes to build illegal Israeli settlements.
According to South Korean lawmaker Jang Hye-Young, South Korea's arms trade with "Israel" has markedly expanded, with exports reaching $47 million over the past decade.
Jang pointed out that Seoul persisted with its arms exports to Tel Aviv despite documented Israeli military strikes against Palestinian refugee camps and hospitals, and despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering "Israel" to take all measures to prevent genocide acts in Gaza.
Despite being a party to the Arms Trade Treaty, which prohibits signatories from exporting arms if they will be used to commit genocide, war crimes, or attacks on civilians, South Korea's arms sales to the Israeli occupation entity remain in place.
Amnesty International Korea also pointed out that the South Korean government has not issued a decision to suspend arms exports to "Israel", although the UN Human Rights Council urged a halt to all arms sales to the Israeli occupation entity, citing concerns of genocide in Gaza.
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