Key points
- Questioning was carried out under a new provision in Belgium’s Code of Criminal Procedure
- Belgium has received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from Hind Rajab Foundation
- Foundation has been campaigning for legal action against Israeli soldiers over alleged war crimes in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Brussels has said that Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
The Associated Press (AP) cited a statement of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Brussels as saying, “The two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group”.
The complaints were submitted on Friday and Saturday as the soldiers attended the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium, according to Al Jazeera.
Geneva Conventions
“In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint,” said the prosecutor’s office in a written statement on Monday. “Following these interrogations, they were released.”
The questioning was carried out under a new provision in Belgium’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which came into effect last year.
Six-year-old Palestinian girl
It permits Belgian courts to investigate alleged violations abroad if the acts fall under international treaties ratified by Belgium – including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, based in Belgium, has been campaigning for legal action against Israeli soldiers over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
It is named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli fire while fleeing Gaza City with her family early in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
