English below
Predsedniku Vlade Republike Slovenije Robertu Golobu
Ministrici za zunanje in evropske zadeve Tanji Fajon
Ministrici za pravosodje Andreji Katič
Ministru za notranje zadeve Boštjanu Poklukarju
Ministru za obrambo Robertu Golobu
Ministrici za infrastrukturo Alenki Bratušek
Ministru za finance Klemnu Boštjančiču
Generalnemu direktorju FURS Petru Grumu
Direktorju uprave za carine, FURS, Borisu Kastelicu
Direktorju Uprave RS za pomorstvo Jadranu Klincu
Vodji Kapitanije Alešu Rotarju
Predsednici uprave Luke Koper, d. d. Nevenki Kržan
Članu uprave Luke Koper, d. d., Gregorju Beliču
Članu uprave Luke Koper, d. d., Gorazdu Jamniku
Članu uprave Luke Koper, d. d., Vojku Rotarju
Zadeva: Prihod vojaškega tovora, namenjenega v Izrael, v Luko Koper in pravne posledice
Spoštovani,
v Luko Koper je po dostopnih uradnih podatkih namenjena tovorna ladja MV Kathrin, ki pluje pod zastavo Madeire, z vojaškim tovorom, ki je v delu namenjen v Izrael.
Ladja je bila natovorjena v pristanišču Haipong v Vietnamu in je po podatkih iz dokumentov, ki so jih pridobile namibijske oblasti, namenjena v Luko Koper s tovorom, ki vključuje 60 kontejnerjev eksplozivnega sredstva TNT in 8 kontejnerjev eksplozivnega sredstva RDX heksogen.
Na podlagi podatkov in dokumentov, ki so jih pridobile namibijske oblasti (https://www.observer24.com.na/nampol-blocks-vessel-carrying-military-cargo-to-israel/), je končna destinacija dela tovora eksplozivnega sredstva RDX heksogen Izrael. Ladji je namibijska policija 24. avgusta 2024 na podlagi odločitve namibijskega ministrstva za notranje zadeve, imigracijo in varnost preklicala dovoljenje za vplutje v namibijsko glavno pristanišče Walvis Bay. Namibijske oblasti so na podlagi uradnih dokumentov sklenile, da bi vplutje MV Kathrin kršilo namibijske mednarodnopravne obveznosti, ki izhajajo iz zavez podpisnic Konvencije o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida, iz odločitev Meddržavnega sodišča, iz mednarodnega humanitarnega prava ter pravil Mednarodne pomorske organizacije, zato so dovoljenje za vplutje ladji MV Kathrin preklicale.
Slovenija je kot država članica mednarodne skupnosti zavezana k spoštovanju mednarodnega humanitarnega prava in odločitev Meddržavnega sodišča, kot podpisnica je zavezana k uresničevanju Konvencije o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida ter mednarodne Pogodbe o trgovini z orožjem.
Ženevske konvencije v 1. členu določajo, da se “pogodbenice (se) zavezujejo, da bodo spoštovale to konvencijo in zagotavljale, da se upošteva v vseh okoliščinah”.
Meddržavno sodišče je 24. maja 2024 (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240524-ord-01-00-en.pdf) dopolnilo svoje odločitve o začasnih ukrepih, izdanih 26. januarja in 28. marca 2024. Izraelu je naložilo, da mora takoj prenehati z vojaškimi operacijami in drugimi ravnanji v Rafi, ter v 54. odstavku odločitve spomnilo, da so vse države članice mednarodne skupnosti dolžne ravnati tako, da se zagotovi spoštovanje odločitev Meddržavnega sodišča.
Konvencija o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida v 5. in 8. členu nalaga vsem državam podpisnicam, da ukrepajo, da se spoštuje določila konvencije.
Pogodba o trgovini z orožjem pa v 3. odstavku 6. člena jasno določa da, “država pogodbenica ne sme odobriti nobenega prenosa konvencionalnega orožja iz prvega odstavka 2. člena ali predmetov iz 3. in 4. člena, če pri potrditvi ve, da bo orožje ali bodo predmeti lahko uporabljeni pri izvajanju genocida, zločinih proti človeštvu, grobih kršitvah Ženevske konvencije iz leta 1949, napadih, usmerjenih na civilne objekte ali civiliste, ki so že kot taki zaščiteni, ali drugih vojnih zločinih, kot jih določajo mednarodni sporazumi, katerih podpisnica je”, pri čemer dejavnosti mednarodne trgovine oziroma prenos vključujejo izvoz, uvoz, tranzit, pretovarjanje in posredništvo.
Obveznost Republike Slovenije – vseh njenih organov, institucij in posameznic ter posameznikov, ki jih vodijo – je, da ukrenejo vse, da se zagotovi spoštovanje vladavine prava in mednarodnopravnih obveznosti Republike Slovenije ter da izpolnijo svojo dolžnost ukrepanja, da se prepreči, da bi Republika Slovenija prispevala, sodelovala in podpirala izvrševanje najhujših mednarodnih hudodelstev.
Glede na ugotovitve Meddržavnega sodišča o nevarnosti kršitev Konvencije o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida zaradi ravnanj izraelske vojske v Gazi, je dolžnost Republike Slovenije, vseh njenih institucij, podjetij in organov, da preprečijo, da bi Slovenija sodelovala pri trgovini z orožjem in vojaško opremo ter nevarnimi snovmi, za katere obstaja visoka verjetnost, da bi lahko bili uporabljeni na način, ki bi kršil mednarodno humanitarno pravo in pravo človekovih pravic.
Ob tem velja spomniti na poziv posebnih poročevalcev ZN, ki so že 23. februarja 2024 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts) pozvali k vojaškemu embargu na uvoz orožja v Izrael, in poziv k vojaškemu embargu Izraela ponovili še 20. junija 2024 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/states-and-companies-must-end-arms-transfers-israel-immediately-or-risk). Odbor ZN za človekove pravice pa je 5. aprila 2024 sprejel resolucijo A/HRC/55/L.16 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/le-conseil-adopte-cinq-resolutions-dont-celle-demandant-quun-cessez-le-feu), ki poziva države, naj prenehajo s prodajo, prenosom in preprodajo oziroma preusmerjanjem orožja, streliva in druge vojaške opreme v Izrael.
Ob novicah, da je Namibija prepovedala vplutje ladji MV Kathrin zaradi vojaškega tovora, namenjenega v Izrael, je posebna poročevalka Združenih narodov za človekove pravice na okupiranih palestinskih ozemljih zapisala (https://twitter.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1829709634912813278), da je “treba zagotoviti uresničitev vojaškega embarga” in da naj bi MV Kathrin dostavila 8 kontejnerjev eksploziva Izraelu – eksploziva, ki je bistveni del bomb in izstrelkov iz vojaških letal, ki jih Izrael uporablja v operacijah nad oblegano Gazo in nad Palestinkami in Palestinci. Priznana mednarodna pravnica Francesca Albanese je ob tem izrazila upanje, da bo po zgledu Namibije tudi Angola spoštovala mednarodno pravo in MV Kathrin zavrnila dovoljenje za vplutje, saj bi drugače lahko resno prekršila svoje obveznosti iz Ženevskih konvencij. Omogočanje, da orožje in vojaška oprema pridejo v Izrael pa predstavlja tudi kršitev Konvencije o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida in resolucije Odbora ZN za človekove pravice, ki poziva k vojaškemu embargu na Izrael.
Pristojne pozivamo, naj izpolnijo svoje zakonske naloge, dolžnosti in obveznosti ter storijo vse, da se zagotovi spoštovanje mednarodnega prava in prepreči mednarodna hudodelstva. Posebej opozarjamo na dolžnosti, ki izhajajo iz 257. in 258. člena KZ-1, pa tudi iz 281. člena KZ-1, ter na splošna določila o pomoči pri kaznivih dejanjih iz 38. člena KZ-1.
Republika Slovenija in vsi njeni organi ter institucije so zavezani narediti vse v njihovi moči, da se prepreči oziroma da ne pomagajo in omogočijo izvršitev najhujših mednarodnih hudodelstev. Glede na razpoložljive podatke je zato dolžnost Republike Slovenije, da ne omogoči oziroma da prepreči, da bi z ladjo MV Kathrin v Izrael dospelo vojaško orožje, oprema ali blago, ki bi se lahko uporabilo za nadaljnje kršitve mednarodnega humanitarnega prava in Konvencije o preprečevanju in kaznovanju zločina genocida.
S tem pismom želimo zagotoviti, da se zavedate in ste obveščeni o svojih dolžnih ravnanjih ter o morebitnih pravnih tveganjih in odgovornostih, ki jih prinaša morebitna neizpolnitev teh ravnanj.
Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia Robert Golob
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon
Minister of Justice Andreja Katič
Minister of Interior Boštjan Poklukar
Minister of Defence Robert Golob
Minister of Infrastructure Alenka Bratušek
Minister of Finance Klemen Boštjančič
Director General at Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia Peter Grum
Director at Administration for Custom Duties, FARS, Boris Kastelic
Director at Slovenian Maritime Administration Jadran Klinc
Head of Harbour Master’s Office Aleš Rotar
President of the Management Board at Luka Koper d.d. Nevenka Kržan
Member of the Management Board at Luke Koper d. d. Gregor Belič
Member of the Management Board at Luke Koper d. d. Gorazdu Jamniku
Member of the Management Board at Luke Koper d. d. Vojku Rotarju
Subject:
A Vessel with Military Cargo for Israel Coming to the Port of Koper and Arising Legal Consequences
Dear Sir/Madam,
According to public official data, the cargo vessel MV Kathrin, sailing under the flag of Madeira, is heading towards the Port of Koper, its port of discharge, with military cargo, part of which is bound for Israel.
The ship was loaded at the port of Haiphong in Vietnam and the documents obtained by the authorities in Namibia show that its destination is the Port of Koper. MV Kathrin carries cargo that includes 60 containers of TNT explosives and 8 containers of RDX hexogen explosives.
Given the data and documents obtained by the Namibian authorities (https://www.observer24.com.na/nampol-blocks-vessel-carrying-military-cargo-to-israel/) part of the of RDX hexogen explosives are destined for Israel. On August 24,
2024, the Namibian police, acting on a decision by the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration and Safety Security, revoked the permission for the vessel to enter Namibia”s waters and dock at the port of Walvis Bay. The Namibian authorities concluded, based on the official documents, that allowing MV Kathrin to dock would violate Namibia”s international obligations as a signatory of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, given the decisions of the International Court of Justice, the provisions in the International Humanitarian Law, and the rules of the International Maritime Organization. Consequently, MV Kathrin was not allowed to dock in Namibia.
Slovenia has as a member of the international community a duty to respect the International Humanitarian Law, binding decisions of the International Court of Justice, and is obligated as a signatory to act to uphold the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Arms Trade Treaty.
The Geneva Conventions in Article 1 state “The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances”.
On May 24, 2024 the International Court of Justice (https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240524-ord-01-00-en.pdf) confirmed its Orders of 26 January 2024 and 28 March 2024 and ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate”, and in paragraph 54 of its decision, reminded that its orders on provisional measures have binding effect and thus create international legal obligations for any party to whom they are addressed.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in Articles 5 and 8, obliges all signatories to act to ensure the provisions of the
Convention are respected.
The Arms Trade Treaty, in Article 6(3), clearly stipulates that “A State Party shall not authorize any transfer of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) or of items covered under Article 3 or Article 4, if it has knowledge at the time of authorization that the arms or items would be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such, or other war crimes as defined by international agreements to which it is a Party”; whereas the activities of the international trade comprise export, import, transit, trans-shipment and brokering.
The obligations of the Republic of Slovenia – its authorities, institutions, and its representatives – is to undertake all necessary actions to ensure the respect for the rule of law and the fulfilment of its international legal obligations; as well as to act to ensure that the Republic of Slovenia does not contribute to, participate in, or support the most grave international crimes.
In light of the International Court of Justice’s orders to prevent serious breaches of
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide due to Israels actions in Gaza, it is the duty of the Republic of Slovenia, all its institutions, authorities, and bodies, to prevent any engagement in the arms trade where there is a high probability that weapons, military equipment or dangerous substances will contribute to violations of the International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law.
It is worth recalling the call to immediately stop arms exports to Israel by the UN special rapporteurs on February 23, 2024 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts), that was reiterated on June 20, 2024 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/states-and-companies-must-end-arms-transfers-israel-immediately-or-risk). The UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution A/HRC/55/L.16 on April 5, 2024 (https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/le-conseil-adopte-cinq-resolutions-dont-celle-demandant-quun-cessez-le-feu), calling on States to cease the sale or transfer of arms to Israel. urging states cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel.
Reacting to the news that Namibia has prohibited the entry of the vessel MV Kathrin because of its military cargo destined for Israel, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 stated
(https://twitter.com/FranceskAlbs/status/1829709634912813278) that it is necessary “to enforce arms embargo” and that according to information received, the vessel MV Kathrin is “expected to deliver 8 containers of explosives to Israel. These explosives are reportedly key components in the aircraft bombs and missiles that Israel is deploying against besieged Gaza and in its genocidal campaign against the Palestinians”. Renowned international lawyer Francesca Albanese expressed hope that just as “Namibia has rightfully denied port access to Kathrin, upholding international law” also Angola would follow and not consent to harbour the ship as this could be a serious breach of the Genocide Convention and HRC resolution 55/L.30 mandating an arms embargo on Israel.
We therefore urge the Slovenian authorities to fulfil their legal duties, obligations, and
responsibilities and to act to ensure the compliance with the International Humanitarian Law and to prevent serious international crimes. We want to highlight the obligations arising from Articles 257 and 258 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Slovenia (KZ-1), as well as from the Article 281 of KZ-1, and the general provisions about criminal assistance in Article 38 of KZ-1.
The Republic of Slovenia, all its authorities and institutions are obligated to do everything in their power to prevent and not to aid or enable the commission of the most serious international crimes. Based on the available data, it is a legal duty of the Republic of Slovenia to prevent military weapons, equipment, or goods on MV Kathrin that could be used for further violations of the International Humanitarian Law and of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide from reaching Israel.
With this letter, we want to ensure legal and factual awareness of all concerned about their legal duties and potential legal risks and liabilities that may arise from the non-fulfilment of these duties.