Recent Site Updates Introduction
Recent Site Updates
Introduction
16 September 2003 24 June 2003 23 June 2003 - Belgium's law to be cancelled retrospectively? 15 June 2003 - Trial to move to Israel? 10 June 2003 - Trial and Investigation to commence 29 May 2003 - Trial to continue! 23 February 2003 20 February 2003 19 February 2003 17 February 2003 13 February 2003 23 January 2003 2 December 2002 24 September 2002 18 September 2002 3 August 2002 19 July 2002 11 July 2002 6 July 2002 28 June 2002 27 June 2002 15 May 2002 9 May 2002 29 April 2002 22 April 2002 12 March 2002 6 March 2002 1 March 2002 27 February 2002 19 February 2002 14 February 2002 7 February 2002 24 January 2002 23 January 2002 22 January 2002
Confused by all the changes going on?
Read "The Sabra and Shatila Case in Belgium: A Guide for the Perplexed" by Laurie King-Irani, 16 June 2003.
21 SEPTEMBERS AGO, Laurie King-Irani (16 September 2003)
"A man in his sixties, with kind eyes and a ready smile,
waits until I am comfortably situated before he approaches
me, pulls up his shirt, and points to an area just to the
left of his navel. 'lammasini hon, sittnaa!' he quietly
requests, 'Touch me here, Ma'am!' His middle-aged
daughters sit silently around me, their eyes focused on
nothing in particular as I gingerly comply with their
father's request. Touching the damp flesh of his round
white belly, I am shocked to feel the hard, spherical mass
of a bullet trapped in his stomach muscles." On the 21st
anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, EI's Laurie
King-Irani reflects on the search for international
justice on a journey from Beirut to Brussels. [MORE]
On learning lessons: Belgium's universal jurisdiction law under threat, Laurie King-Irani. (24 June 2003)
"The Sabra and Shatila Case in Belgium: A Guide for the Perplexed" by Laurie King-Irani. (16 June 2003)
Belgium Debates Future of War Crimes Law, Associated Press. (21 June 2003)
Statement of the Lawyers for the Suvivors of Sabra and Shatila in reaction to the Belgian Justice Ministry's decision to start the procedure of transferring the case to Israel (15 June 2003)
Sabra and Shatila plaintiffs welcome today's ruling by the Brussels Appeals Court opening the way for a full investigation and trial of Amos Yaron and others (10 June 2003)
Human Rights Watch issues appeal to the Belgian government not to dismiss the Sabra & Shatila case war crimes case, (5 April 2003)
Important decision by Brussels Appeal Court rejects request of lawyers for Ariel Sharon and Amos Yaron, (6 May 2003)
JUDICIAL CAPITULATION IN BELGIUM: Sharon and Yaron withdraw from all judicial proceedings, (26 May 2003)
In The Press has been updated with several press reports
Carte blanche: Un Juif belge prend la défense de son pays (in French), Léon Liebman, Magistrat honoraire, Le Soir Online, 21 February 2003.
Belgian Ruling Key Precedent for Human Rights, Green-lights Case against ex-Chad Dictator, Human Rights Watch press release, 13 February 2003.
The 12 February 2003 Decision of the Belgian Supreme Court Explained, prepared by Chibli Mallat, Michael Verhaeghe, Luc Walleyn and Laurie King-Irani, International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, 19 February 2003.
English translation of Belgian Supreme Court Decision (unauthorised) [PDF format, 112K], International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, 19 February 2003.
Note de Plaidoirie (in French) from survivors' legal team for Belgian Supreme Court [PDF format, 228K], International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, 12 February 2003.
Opinion relative à l’avis du Procureur général près la Cour de cassation (in French) [PDF format, 188K], Eric David, 12 February 2003.
Belgium's challenge to war's ancient calculus, by Laurie King-Irani, International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, 17 February 2003.
In the press: Compilation of press coverage relating to 12 February decision of Belgian Supreme Court.
Open letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Netanyahu from the Lawyers representing the Survivors of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre (13 February 2003)
Official statement: Concerning Positive Legislative Developments in Belgium: Plaintiffs Welcome New Bill, Lawyers Express Confidence in Relaunching Case against Sharon, Yaron, and other Israelis and Lebanese.
Press release: Lawyers representing the victims in the Sabra and Shatila case welcome the Belgian Supreme Court's decision to quash Court of Appeals' ruling in precedent-setting Yerodia case, 25 November 2002.
More
developments: Our press section
has had a couple of additions, with news and the full text of a very significant
letter from Israeli women's groups on the 20th anniversary of the massacre.
20 years on: Various articles relating to the 20th anniversary of the massacre in our press section.
Analysis: Universal Jurisdiction: Still Trying to Try Sharon, by Laurie King Irani, MERIP Press Information Note No. 102, 30 July 2002.
Court Diary: Press release: The Belgian law of Universal Jurisdiction gets a second wind, 19 July 2002.
Analysis: Belgian Court Rules that Sharon cannot be Tried, by Anthony Dworkin, crimesofwar.org, 1 July 2002.
In the Press: Sabra and Shatila Massacre Survivors to Appeal 26 June Ruling by Belgian Court Dismissing Case against Sharon, Others, 3 July 2002
In the Press: Court rules Sharon cannot be indicted for slaughter, by Robert Fisk, The Independent, 27 June 2002
In the Press: Belgian court drops Sharon human rights case, by Gareth Smyth, Financial Times, 26 June 2002
Amnesty International press release: Israel/Belgium: Dismay at Sharon case decision, with an introduction by Laurie King-Irani, 26 June 2002
Court Diary: Statement
by the lawyers of the victims of Sabra and Shatila on the decision of the Court
of Appeals in Brussels, 26 June 2002
Court Diary: Press
statement following the Final Pre-Trial Hearing on the Admissibility of the
Case Lodged against Sharon and others for Trial in Belgium under the principle
of Universal Jurisdiction for War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Genocide,
15 May 2002.
Statement: UNIVERSAL
JURISDICTION: Belgian court has jurisdiction in Sharon case to investigate 1982
Sabra and Chatila killings, Amnesty International statement, 14 May 2002
[PDF file, 45K].
In the Press: A
wolf in legal clothing?, by Aryeh Dayan, Ha'aretz, 16 May 2002.
Documents: Additional
Conclusions (en français), final document submitted to the court
in Belgium on 15 May 2002 [PDF file, 96K].
Commentary: Landscapes
of Impunity or Landscapes of Hope? The Choice is Ours, by Laurie King-Irani,
indictsharon.net, 9 May 2002.
Events: Two
international showings of The Accused today, on Canadian and Australian
television. Click here for a transcript
of the documentary.
In the press: A
Silent Revolution Is Underway in Human Rights, Activist Says, by Seth Sandronsky,
CommonDreams.org, Sunday, April 28, 2002.
In the press: Matter
of moral inconsistency, by Gareth Smyth, Khaleej Times, 25 April
2002.
In the Press: Prof
discusses case on '82 Mideast killings, by Ali Alemozafar, The Stanford
Daily, 24 April 2002.
Court Diary: Press
statement: Response to the Belgian court's decision in the matter of Ndombasi
Yerodia (16 April 2002)
Documents: The
Future of Head of State Immunity: The Case against Ariel Sharon, by Heidi
Altman, indictsharon.net, April 2002 [PDF file, 87K, requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader 
].
In the Press: Analysis:
Fighting the fog of war, by Claude Salhani, UPI, 18 April 2002.
Commentary: Prevent
another Massacre: End Ariel Sharon's Impunity for War Crimes Now, by Laurie
King-Irani, North American Coordinator of International Campaign for Justice
for the Victims of Sabra & Shatila, The Electronic Intifada, 12 March
2002.
Court Diary: Press
release: Belgian Appeals Court agrees to New Hearing, Re-Opening of Arguments,
in War Crimes Case against Ariel Sharon and other Israelis and Lebanese
Court Diary: Press
statement: Lawyers for Sabra and Shatila Plaintiffs Ask to Re-open Debate before
Belgian Court following ICJ Ruling of 14 February, 1 March 2002
Site update: New
Get Involved section replaces
earlier "Donate to support the case" section. Information previously available
remains intact. The main addition to this section is a complete list of committees
around the world in solidarity with the case.
Document: Dissenting
opinion of Judge Van den Wyngaert in the ICJ decision, who argued: "International
law grants no immunity from criminal process to incumbent foreign ministers
suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity." [PDF file, 195K, requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader ].
Court Diary: Press
statement concerning the decision of the International Court of Justice
Document: Conclusion
to pre-trial hearing, with endnotes (en français) [PDF file, 323K,
requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
].
The final document submitted to the court in Belgium on 30 January 2002, in
French, was added to the documents listed in The
Case Against The Accused.
Site updates: The
Court Diary and Frequently
Asked Questions were updated today.
Site updates: A new
section, In The Press, was added
to site navigation, and will serve as a collection point for media coverage
of the case and relevant developments.
Court Diary: Press
statement concerning the death of Elie Hobeika
Court Diary: Following
today's final pre-trial hearing an
update was sent out to the e-mail list.
Site update: This
website was launched.
indictsharon.net is the website of the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra & Shatila, offering news on the case lodged in Belgium against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israelis and Lebanese responsible for the massacre, killing, rape and disappearance of civilians that took place in Beirut between 16 and 18 September 1982 in the camps of Sabra and Shatila and the surrounding area. Please link to this site.
This website aims to provide useful resources as well as timely news updates for journalists, researchers, legal specialists, and anyone else interested in the case. You will find material related to international human rights law, particularly the principle of universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity, breaking news about any developments in the case in Belgium, and background information about the accused, the plaintiffs, and the legal team lodging the case on behalf of the Sabra and Shatila massacre survivors.
Join our e-mail list to keep in touch with the latest news as it happens.
Dr. Laurie King-Irani is North American Coordinator of International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra & Shatila. For media queries, write to coordinator@indictsharon.net. For website queries, write to webmaster@indictsharon.net.
Surfed directly to this page? Add navigation frames here.
This page is part of indictsharon.net, the website of the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra & Shatila, offering news on the case lodged in Belgium against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israelis and Lebanese responsible for the massacre, killing, rape and disappearance of civilians that took place in Beirut between 16 and 18 September 1982 in the camps of Sabra and Shatila and the surrounding area.
Copyright notice: All content copyright ©2002 indictsharon.net unless otherwise noted. No unauthorised mirroring of any part or all of this site is permitted. Links to this site or to parts of it are welcomed. Materials may be printed from this site and photocopied for activist or classroom use. Information about photographs used on this website.