The National Human Rights Commission of Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, welcomes the civil complaint filed before the War Crimes Unit in France by French-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri, in cooperation with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), concerning the Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential building in the Nweiri neighborhood of Beirut on 26 November 2024.
This case carries particular significance due to its direct personal dimension. Ali Cherri lost both of his parents in the attack, Nadera Hayek, aged 78, and Mahmoud Naïm Cherri, aged 88, who were present in their apartment at the time of the strike, along with their live-in domestic worker, Berki Nigisa. At least four other civilians residing in the same building were also killed, and the strike caused extensive destruction. The attack occurred only hours before a ceasefire came into effect.
According to Amnesty International’s investigation published in February 2026, no effective advance warning was issued, and no military objective was identified at or near the site, either at the time of the attack or afterward. These findings provide reasonable grounds to believe that the strike may constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law and should be investigated as a war crime.
The Commission emphasizes that Ali Cherri’s recourse to French courts, as a dual French-Lebanese national and a direct victim, represents a legitimate and important use of extraterritorial jurisdiction mechanisms, particularly in the absence of effective accountability pathways at the national or international level. It also underscores the critical role that victims themselves can play in triggering justice processes and advancing accountability.
The Commission considers that this case goes beyond an individual claim and reflects a broader pattern of documented violations since October 2023, including repeated airstrikes on residential areas resulting in civilian casualties, without meaningful accountability to date.
In this context, the potential opening of an investigation by French judicial authorities would mark a significant step toward addressing impunity and could set an important precedent for the prosecution of violations committed in Lebanon before European courts.
The Commission calls on Lebanese authorities to fully cooperate with these judicial proceedings, to support efforts aimed at establishing the truth, and to strengthen accountability mechanisms, including through accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
It further calls on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral obligations by activating universal jurisdiction mechanisms and ensuring that serious violations of international humanitarian law do not go unpunished.
The Commission expresses its full solidarity with Ali Cherri and the families of all victims and reaffirms its commitment to supporting all judicial initiatives aimed at securing truth, justice, and reparation.
هذه المقالة متاحة أيضًا بـ:
