Berlin – 23 February 2024

Today, a group of German lawyers – representing families of two Gazans – is filing a criminal complaint against German Government officials[1], for the crime of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing Israel with weapons and issuing related export permissions. They are supported by civil society organisations ELSC (European Legal Support Center), PIPD (Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy) and Law for Palestine under the Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative. The charges are being filed at the Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe (‘Generalbundesanwaltschaft’).

In a historic ruling on 26 January 2024 in the case filed by South Africa against Israel for the crime of Genocide, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered provisional measures against the “serious risk” of genocide and stated that the latter is “plausibly taking place”.

German lawyers representing Gaza Palestinian families have filed a criminal complaint against German officials – including Chancellor Olaf Scholz – for supplying Israel with weapons that they say aid and abet Israel‘s ongoing genocide in their homeland.

Prosecutors from the Federal Prosecutor‘s office in Karlsruhe will examine the case, and if it goes ahead will open an investigation and question government officials including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, Minister of Finance Christian Lindner, and members of the Bundessicherheitsrat, the government body that authorizes Germany‘s arms export licenses.