The Killing of General Qassem Soleimani: A Blatant Violation of International Laws

When the US carried out the terrorist strike that murdered high-ranking military officials from Iran and Iraq, including General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, it set a clear example of state terrorism. Under international law, Washington’s actions violate the right to life, the prohibition on the use of military force, respect for state sovereignty, and the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. By acting without consulting the Senate, the Trump administration has likewise infringed US law. A nation’s right to self-defence is guaranteed by Article 51 of the United Nations Charter; yet, the US terrorist government committed that horrific crime under the pretext of justified defence. In the event of an assault on a state, that state is entitled to defend itself. This rule, however, does not apply to the United States since it was not attacked by Iran and did not defend itself. The Americans claimed General Soleimani was contemplating an assault on them, but they were unable to provide any evidence to substantiate this claim. Following the terrible murder of Martyr Soleimani and his comrades, several legal channels were employed to prosecute the case based on the blatantly breached laws. By committing that heinous murder, the US has breached Article 27 of a security agreement signed in 2008 between Iraq and the US, which requires the US to maintain security in Iraq. On the other hand, the assassination of commanders Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis and Haj Qassem Soleimani constituted a violation of both Iraqi sovereignty and civil aviation law, especially at Baghdad International Airport, which is a civilian rather than a military facility. For their part, the Iraqi parliament and cabinet have vowed to prosecute the US for the flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty as their top priority. The Islamic Republic of Iran has also emphasised the need to bring the perpetrators of that horrific murder to justice. The case was handed to the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutor’s Office for International Affairs (District 20), and the relevant investigation was undertaken under the supervision of the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office. Meanwhile, a newly formed investigative advisory board began gathering information, evidence, and documents concerning the murder case, while an international arrest warrant was issued for 45 American defendants. Unfortunately, according to the present political situation, the international detention order for the accused was refused, but the investigation continued its course. A joint special committee for the legal and international examination of General Soleimani’s murder case has been constituted in addition to the Iranian and Iraqi governments’ independent measures. The first meeting of the Joint Investigation Committee will take place in Iraq on November 24th and 25th, according to the Secretary of the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Headquarters.