The groups raised serious concerns that weapons and military equipment sent to Israel could be used in violation of international law in the Gaza Strip.
A group of the world’s leading human rights organizations is suing Danish authorities over continued arms exports to Israel while more than 30,000 people, mostly civilians, , were killed in Gaza by the Israeli army.
Local branches of Oxfam, Amnesty, Action Aid and the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq announced legal action against the Danish National Police and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. country.
Their action calls on Danish authorities to stop arms exports from Denmark to Israel on the grounds that there is “a clear risk that the weapons and military equipment that Denmark exports, directly and indirectly, to Israel will be used to commit serious crimes against civilians in Gaza”.
According to the group, this would represent a violation of international rules on the arms trade by Denmark, making the country complicit in a “plausible genocide.”
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ highest court, concluded that it was plausible that Israel’s actions in Gaza could constitute genocide.
“Denmark must not provide weapons to bomb civilians”says Lars Koch, Secretary General of Oxfam Denmark, in a press release, published on social networks.
“With this trial, we will verify whether Denmark respects international law and the values we profess,” he adds. “We cannot ignore the clear violations of humanitarian law, war crimes and the warning of potential genocide.”
The NGOs want the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Denmark’s actions constitute a violation of international law.
The country is required under the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and the European Union’s common arms export rules to ensure that exports of arms and military equipment Danish companies are not used in violation of international law.
“We have been talking about a potential genocide in Gaza for five months, but we have not seen the political leaders act”says Tim Whyte, Secretary General of “Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke”, one of the organizations behind the lawsuit.
“Denmark should not send weapons to Israel when there is reasonable suspicion that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. We need to get the court’s opinion on Denmark’s responsibility.”.
In February, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to stop selling F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they could be used in violation of international law in Gaza.
