Prosecutors in France have dismissed a complaint filed against a French-Israeli soldier, which alleged that he committed crimes of torture and barbarism during the war due to his treatment of Palestinian prisoners, according to a Tuesday Middle East Eye report citing Agence France-Presse (AFP).
According to the report, France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) closed the complaint case on Monday last week due to insufficient evidence.
The complaint made by three NGOs was filed due to a video shared on social media back in March, which the soldier posted. The video contained footage of Israeli soldiers directing Palestinian soldiers out of a truck dressed in white jumpsuits and wearing blindfolds.
Furthermore, in the footage, it was possible to hear the person filming the video cursing at the prisoners in French.
Some of the slurs spoken in French that were directed toward the prisoners included “Motherf**ckers” and “ Calm down, you sons of a b**chs.”
After the video was shared, three NGOs, the Belgian Association March 30 Movement, the French Justice and Rights Without Borders (JDSF), and Al Jaliya Union of Palestinian Association in France, filed a complaint that the video depicted war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A dismissed complaint
However, the complaint was dismissed because, according to the cited judicial source in the report, facts were “insufficiently characterized,” and the supporting evidence was “insufficient to establish the existence of possible material acts of complicity.”
The #March30Movement is profoundly shocked by the French National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) decision to dismiss our complaint against Yoel Ohnona, author of the infamous torture-boasting video. This is not the end of this. For more info https://t.co/FByL6DMAo4 pic.twitter.com/busZU2c8h9
— March 30 Movement (@March30Movement) September 10, 2024
The NGO March 30 Movement responded following the dismissal, making a post on X/Twitter that it was “profoundly shocked by the French National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) decision to dismiss [their complaint.”