Press Releases
28 August 2012 |Reference 65/2012
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Tuesday, 28 August 2012, corresponds the date of verdict of murder of the U.
S Activist Rachel Corrie, 24 years, by theIsraeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The court discharged the accused in a verdict that shocked human rights activists and organizations, particularly because of the very clear crime and the non existence of any confusion that the Israeli bulldozer driver intentionally killed her without any justification; as the area was quiet and neither military operation nor armed persons were at the place.
As well the murder was committed in front of her colleagues of peace activists’ eyes.
The Israeli verdict comes after more than nine years after Corrie’s death which took place on Wednesday 16 March 2003.
According to field investigations conducted by Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, at approximately 4:45pm on Sunday 16 March 2003, the IOF killed Rachel Corrie while she was trying to prevent Israeli bulldozers from demolishing Palestinian houses in the As-Salam neighborhood in Rafah town.
The Israeli soldier who was driving the bulldozers ran over Corrie while she was alive.
She was wearing civilian clothes and reflector jacket to enable the IOF soldiers to see that she was a peace activist.
She was holding a megaphone to her mouth attempting to speak to the driver of a bulldozer, when he was demolishing Palestinian houses in that area.
The driver continued to move forward until Rachel was completely buried under the bulldozer.
Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights reiterates its strong condemnation of the killing of US peace activist.
Al Mezan asserts that the failure of Israel to bring perpetrators to justice is part of Israeli series and attempts to ensure immunity to its soldiers.
Corrie’s family filed a lawsuit before Haifa district court against the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
However, the Israeli justice system has proved once again its failure to achieve justice and it continues to entrench its politicized attitude by seeking to shield IOF, even when it commits serious violations and defend Israel and its image and interests at the expense of the rule of law and justice.
Despite the clear evidence in Corrie's case, the large number of eyewitnesses, photos that show the IOF killing of Corrie, and the relentless efforts of Corrie's family and human rights organizations and activists to achieve justice, sadly it is still absent.
This confirms the human rights organizations attitude towards the Israeli justice system.
In this occasion, Al Mezan expresses its full solidarity with Corrie’s family in its attempt to achieve justice to its daughters.
Al Mezan considers this attempt as part of its attempt to achieve justice to all victims of Israeli violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Al Mezan reiterates its strong condemnation of the killing of Rachel Corrie as a clear violation of international law and human rights principles.
It calls on the international community to ensure justice and respect human rights, and to confront the policy of immunity by applying the principles of international law to prevent further violations from being committed in the future.
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