Turks accuse Israel of war crimes in flotilla raid

Lawyers lodge complaints to In'tl Criminal Court calling for probe into alleged torture, inhuman treatment, violations of Geneva convention.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
Gaza Flotilla 311 (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gaza Flotilla 311
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Turkish lawyers representing pro-Palestinian activists have complained to the International Criminal Court that Israeli troops committed war crimes when they raided a boat trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza in May.
Nine Turkish citizens, including a 19-year-old with dual US-Turkish nationality, were killed during the melee after Israeli troops intercepted the Mavi Marmara.
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Attorney Ugur Sevgili said Thursday victims want Israel investigated for torture, inhuman treatment and violations of the Geneva war crimes convention.
The international court receives hundreds of applications every year but opens investigations in few cases.
The complaints came two months after a 56-page UN report on the flotilla incident was published in which Israel was accused of what the report called, willful killing and torture. It claimed that there was "clear evidence to support prosecutions."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the report "biased and distorted."