Lebanese artist Ali Cherri has filed a complaint in France after the death of his parents in an Israeli strike against a residential building in Beirut in November 2024.
“As a son, a citizen, and a victim, it is my duty to ensure that this war crime committed by the Israeli army is recognised for what it is, so that it may be brought to justice – for my parents and for all the civilians killed that day,” Mr Cherri said. "Justice cannot undo death, but seeking justice means refusing to let impunity lead to the destruction of other lives."
Mr Cherri's French-Lebanese nationality gives French judicial authorities jurisdiction to investigate the bombing of the apartment he owned.
The bombing took place at 5:30am on November 26, 2024, a few hours before a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was due to come into effect.
The bombing in the residential neighbourhood of Noueiri killed seven people and destroyed Mr Cherri's ninth-floor apartment, as well as the two floors underneath.
The complaint is based on digital reconstruction by Forensic Architecture, a research group at the University of London that investigates human rights violations. Lebanese photographer Mohamad Shehab, who had taken pictures of the apartment to support the investigation, was killed in March in an Israeli bombing when he was at home with his three-year-old daughter.
"These attacks constitute a clear and repeated violation of international humanitarian law, which imposes an obligation to distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects and populations,” said Clemence Bectarte, lawyer at the International Federation for human rights, which co-filed the complaint with Mr Cherri at the crimes against humanity unit of the Paris judicial court.
"The French justice system must ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished, and that those responsible are prosecuted, particularly when its own citizens are the victims," Ms Bectarte added.
The complaint was filed against an unknown person, or "against X," as French law permits. A complaint cannot be filed against a country in national courts. It will be up to the investigation to identify the politicians and military personnel responsible for the attack.
