As Iran enters its sixth day of war, the issue of international law arises. Invited to the “Points de Vue” show on Le Figaro TV, Sarah Scialom discusses the application of these legal rules in the Middle East conflict.
“In international law, massacres of civilians by a state are not a legitimate use of armed force,” explains Sarah Scialom, an international criminal law attorney on the “Points de Vue” show, aired on Thursday, March 5th on Le Figaro TV. The UN Charter may seem immoral when “there are strong suspicions that the actions of the Iranian regime may qualify as crimes against humanity,” notes the jurist.
The attorney points out that the repression of protests in Iran last January constitutes “a broad and systematic attack on a civilian population.” The repression by the mullahs is said to have caused over 30,000 victims, according to NGOs.
“We cannot militarily intervene in a country solely to protect. Does this mean that American-Israeli strikes are necessarily unlawful? Absolutely not. But their legal basis cannot be this. If we want to use this right, we need a resolution from the UN Security Council,” emphasizes Sarah Scialom.
According to the international criminal law attorney, the UN Charter authorizes such action only in two cases: “self-defense and authorization from the UN Security Council. There are no other options.”
