The 18-month sentence handed down by a military court to an Israeli soldier who shot a wounded Palestinian man dead last year was “unacceptable” and “excessively lenient,” the UN human rights office has said.
“We are deeply disturbed at the lenient sentence given by the Tel Aviv Military Court earlier this week to an Israeli soldier convicted of unlawfully killing a wounded Palestinian,” UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.
IDF Sergeant Elor Azaria’s act was “an apparent extrajudicial execution of an unarmed man, who clearly posed no imminent threat,” Shamdasani added, as cited by Reuters.
Elor Azaria's mother during 'Op. Protective Edge': "It’s especially important to kill the women & the children." https://t.co/Woctv5pEkt pic.twitter.com/eg7FjqxZbT
— Ben White (@benabyad) February 24, 2017
In March of 2016, the soldier shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif Elor, an alleged Palestinian knife attacker, in the head after he had already been incapacitated.
Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 1.5 years behind bars on Tuesday, despite the prosecutors asking the judge for a three to five-year punishment.
The verdict caused outrage in Palestine, with government spokesman Tarek Rishmawi telling AFP that the “light ruling… is a green light to the occupation army to continue its crimes.”
Human rights groups and Palestinian leaders have condemned the "extremely lenient" punishment of Elor Azaria https://t.co/OsJVVNcUdJ pic.twitter.com/GEykw82rQC
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 21, 2017
According to the UN human rights spokeswoman, there’s a “chronic culture of impunity” for military crimes against Palestinians in Israel.
“This case risks undermining confidence in the justice system and reinforcing the culture of impunity,” Shamdasani said, adding that, under Israeli law, manslaughter can carry a maximum punishment of 20 years.
She also pointed out that, so far, Azaria is the only member of Israel’s security forces to have been brought to trial for this type of killing, while over 200 Palestinians were gunned down by Israeli troops since the new spike in violence began in the West Bank in September of 2015.
https://twitter.com/LeonFestinger/status/834001318863917056
The 18-month verdict “also stands in contrast to the sentences handed down by other Israeli courts for other less serious offenses, notably the sentencing of Palestinian children to more than three years’ imprisonment for throwing stones at cars,” the spokeswoman stressed.
(RT, PC, Social Media)
What… did the facebook post his mother put up about all women and children should be killed first get reported? Taken down? Shut down? Her account suspended or blocked? Of course not.
Women like this should have had their ovaries removed, and tubes tied just in case. What an evil people. Vile creatures.. A darkness filled their face
I am from Vancouver,Canada and I wanted to say that this sentence for murder by the savage(Elor Azzrya) is an insult to all Palestinians. He should have been charged with first degree murder and got life in prison with any parole.Netanyahu supported this murderer and he have been condemned for that.The UN has also condemned this lenient sentence given to a murderer.
This is Israeli Apartheid and it needs to be condemned by all gov’ts.Israel shouldn’t be recognized by any gov’t because of Israeli Apartheid.The majority of people in the world supports all Palestinians fighting against Israeli Apartheid. That support will continue.
It is so clear that the U.N. and the International court of justice are completely powerless and are allowed to continue to do nothing. We need to build pressure on them to reform but I dont know how.