SWC Supports Request for International Jurisdiction Against Hamas Filed in Argentinian Courts by the Victims International Foundation

February 2, 2024

Buenos Aires - The Victims International Foundation, represented by an international group of lawyers, filed a lawsuit in the Argentine Courts against the leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas for crimes against humanity based on the October 7th attacks against Israel. The lawsuit was received by the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court 11, in Buenos Aires.
 
The conviction of the main leaders of Hamas is sought based on the 24 Argentinian citizens who were murdered in the attack which produced more than 1,200 deaths and at least 250 kidnappings.
 
The Victims International Foundation promotes the spirit of the Rome Statute which created the International Criminal Court and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its objective is to assist victims of international crimes against humanity.
 
One of the lawyers involved in filing the suit, Dr. Salvatore Tolone Azzaritti, a doctor of law from the University of Oxford and Distinguished Professor of that university and the Woxsen School of Law, who leads the group of complaining professionals said, “This lawsuit is based on two principles of law: Universal Jurisdiction and Nationality of the Victims. The first of these allows any Nation to judge and punish anyone who has committed an act of genocide such as the attack on October 7. The second reinforces the demand, remembering that twenty-four of the victims are Argentine nationals.”
 
“Justice, not revenge, was the motto that inspired Our Mentor, Simon Wiesenthal's task to locate, identify, expose, judge and condemn the perpetrators of the Holocaust. The crimes of October 7 were the worst massacre against Jews since then. It is clear that the Wiesenthal Center will support initiatives such as those of the Victims International Foundation, because it shares its essence and seeks exactly the establishment of justice,” concluded Dr. Ariel Gelblung, Center’s Director for Latin America.

For further information, please contact Dr. Ariel Gelblung at +54 9 11 49695365, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.


The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).