{"id":7749,"date":"2025-09-19T15:00:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/?p=7749"},"modified":"2025-09-20T12:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T10:06:13","slug":"the-time-for-accountability-is-now-criminal-complaint-against-german-government-officials-for-aiding-and-abetting-israels-genocide-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/it\/the-time-for-accountability-is-now-criminal-complaint-against-german-government-officials-for-aiding-and-abetting-israels-genocide-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"The Time for Accountability is Now: Criminal Complaint against German Government Officials for Aiding and Abetting Israel\u2019s Genocide in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Berlin, September 19, 2025 – A criminal complaint against German Government officials and arms trade executives was filed today by a collective of lawyers in Berlin with the support of the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and Law for Palestine. The Complaint was announced at a press conference today.<\/a> 

The charges were filed at the Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe (\u2018Generalbundesanwaltschaft\u2019) against eleven high ranking officials of the former and current German government and CEOs of arms manufacturers, namely former Federal Chancellor  Olaf Scholz, former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, former Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck, current Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, current Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, as well as Dr. J\u00f6rg Stratmann, CEO of Rolls-Royce Solutions GmbH, Michael Humbek, CEO of Dynamit Nobel Defence GmbH, and Dr. Alexander Sagel and Susanne Wiegand, current and former CEOs of RENK Group AG.

The Federal Prosecutor must respect the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and initiate investigations on potential crimes if sufficient grounds for suspicion are apparent. In over 100 pages long criminal complaint<\/a> the lawyers provide extensive evidence for the predicate crimes under the Code of Crimes against International Law (CCAIL<\/em>) namely the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed by Israel. Furthermore, the complaint provides extensive evidence for aiding and abetting acts of genocide by German officials through the approval of arms deliveries.  
The weapon deliveries were approved with full awareness that the weapons were enabling crimes against the Palestinian people. They are in no position to claim they “did not know.” CEOs of companies that supply weapons are not exempt from their responsibility under international criminal law by virtue of a government export licence. The fact that the exports were approved does not alter their classification as a criminal act of aiding and abetting genocide.

Germany is one of the biggest supporters to Israel\u2019s annihilation campaign in Gaza. German arms exports to Israel increased tenfold since 2023 and amounted to about half a billion euros (485.103.796 \u20ac) in total<\/a>. In August 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that his government has stopped issuing new export licences for weapons that could be used in Gaza \u201cuntil further notice\u201d. However, existing licences are still being fulfilled, and new licences continue to be approved for arms allegedly not intended for use in Gaza, but effectively still contributing to the killing of civilians in Palestine and the wider region. The Chancellor did not specify how Germany would be able to control where and how those weapons could be used.

The criminal complaint specifies several weapon systems which were used by the Israeli army in Gaza including combat drones (Heron TP), warships (Sa\u00b4ar 6-class corvette) and various kinds of ammunition (incl. 120 mm tank ammunition) and mechanical parts. Germany has also delivered an abundance of the handheld anti-tank weapon “Matador”. It has since become a TikTok trend among Israeli soli<\/s>diers to film themselves firing those weapons at residential buildings to destroy Palestinian homes for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nadija Samour, ELSC Senior Legal Officer said:<\/strong> “Officials in the German Government have openly and repeatedly boasted about their unconditional and unlimited support for Israel. Given the undeniable, genocidal consequences of this support, \u2013<\/s> we seek to hold them accountable.”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lawyer Benjamin D\u00fcsberg, from the Lawyer\u2019s collective said: <\/strong>\u201cThe German Federal Public Prosecutor must open an investigation to uphold the rule of law and the integrity of his office. Otherwise, Germany is effectively admitting that its federal prosecution system employs double standards and undermines the purpose of the office. Since filing our first case in 2024, we have compiled overwhelming evidence that cannot be ignored or dismissed.\u201d <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plaintiff Dr. Qassem Massri, Palestinian German pediatrician, originally from Gaza said:<\/strong> \u201cIn the process of this horrendous genocide, that Germany supported with weapons and rhetoric, I lost many family members childhood friends and colleagues… their voices have been stolen by German weapons. Today we are submitting this complaint, demanding the German government to fulfill its historical responsibility because Never Again must be Never Again for everyone.\u201d<\/em>  <\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n