Lebanon filmmaker Ali Cherri joins forces with FIDH to file legal complaint against Israel condemning 'war crimes' - JURIST - News

## Summary
News RomanDeckert , CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Franco-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri, alongside the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a civil party complaint denouncing Israel’s army bombing a “civilian object” on Thursday. Article 24(3) reads: “ Any bombardment of cities, towns, villages, habitations and buildings which are not situated in the immediate vicinity of the operations of land forces is forbidden.” “In a context marked by persistent impunity, this complaint constitutes the first initiative to bring before judicial authorities the crimes committed by the Israeli army on Lebanese territory, of which civilians were the primary victims,” Wadih Al-Asmar, co-founder and president of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), said in a statement . “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 Clémence Bectarte, lawyer and coordinator of the FIDH Litigation Action Group. “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.” Cherri’s dual French-Lebanese nationality gives French judicial authorities jurisdiction to investigate the bombing of the apartment he owned; however, they do not have jurisdiction over the killings of his parents. Cherri’s ninth-floor apartment —located in the residential neighborhood of Noueiri in Beirut (Lebanon)— where he lived with his parents, was targeted and destroyed by an Israeli military bombing. Based on documentation from Amnesty International and digital reconstruction work carried out by an organization called Forensic Architecture, Cherri’s complaint shows evidence that the attack appeared to be targeted and that demonstrated the Israeli army’s responsibility in carrying it out.

## Article Content
News
RomanDeckert
,
CC BY-SA 4.0
, via Wikimedia Commons
Franco-Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri, alongside the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH),
filed
a civil party complaint denouncing Israel’s army bombing a “civilian object” on Thursday.
A civilian object is defined as any property not considered a military objective, including homes, schools, hospitals, transportation facilities, civilian infrastructure, and places of worship
. Under International Humanitarian Law, particularly
Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions,
civilian objects are protected from direct attack and seizure; their bombing or destruction could constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
Article 24(3)
reads: “
Any bombardment of cities, towns, villages, habitations and buildings which are not situated in the immediate vicinity of the operations of land forces is forbidden.”
“In a context marked by persistent impunity, this complaint constitutes the first initiative to bring before judicial authorities the crimes committed by the Israeli army on Lebanese territory, of which civilians were the primary victims,” Wadih Al-Asmar, co-founder and president of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), said in a
statement
.
“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 Clémence Bectarte, lawyer and coordinator of the FIDH Litigation Action Group. “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.”
Cherri’s dual French-Lebanese nationality gives French judicial authorities jurisdiction to investigate the bombing of the apartment he owned; however, they do not have jurisdiction over the killings of his parents.
A few hours before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah
—
a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party— was set to come into effect on November 26, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., Mr. Cherri’s ninth-floor apartment —located in the residential neighborhood of Noueiri in Beirut (Lebanon)— where he lived with his parents, was targeted and destroyed by an Israeli military bombing. Mahmoud Naim Cherri and Nadira Hayek, Cherri’s parents, and a domestic worker named Birki Negesa were among the victims, according to the
press release
.
The bombing also destroyed the apartments on the 7th and 8th floors of the building.
Based on documentation from Amnesty International and digital reconstruction work carried out by an organization called Forensic Architecture, Cherri’s complaint shows evidence that the attack appeared to be targeted and that demonstrated the Israeli army’s responsibility in carrying it out. Cherri said in a statement:
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. Justice cannot undo death, but seeking justice means refusing to let impunity lead to the destruction of other lives.
As a result of the Israel-Iran war, across the Middle East, particularly
in Qatar and the UAE
, “authorities have announced hundreds of detentions for sharing information showing the impact of strikes. In Kuwait, authorities imposed a
new decree
of imprisonment and steep fines for anyone who ‘undermines the prestige of the military’ or [attempts to erode] public trust in the armed forces.”
The 26 November 2024 attack is part of the broader context of the military operation conducted by Israel in Lebanon since October 2023, which has had devastating consequences for the civilian population and objects, resulting in the deaths of more than 4,300 Lebanese people.
On March 11, 2026, Mohamad Shehab, a Forensic Architecture cameraman who had recorded footage of Ali Cherri’s parents’ apartment, was killed with his three-year-old daughter during an Israeli strike that targeted their home. This attack, eerily similar to the strike on Cherri’s apartment, “
illustrates the persistence and intensification of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, including those targeting civilians.”
Writer’s note: underlined part can be deleted…

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- Under International Humanitarian Law, particularly Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, civilian objects are protected from direct attack and seizure; their bombing or destruction could constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
- Cherri said in a statement: 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.
- Justice cannot undo death, but seeking justice means refusing to let impunity lead to the destruction of other lives.
- As a result of the Israel-Iran war, across the Middle East, particularly in Qatar and the UAE , “authorities have announced hundreds of detentions for sharing information showing the impact of strikes.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers cherri, lebanese, civilian topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 659.