Legal Aspects of Martyrdom of Major General Qassem Soleimani by the United States in Iraq

Document Type : Academicm and Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Faculty of Humanities, Shahed University, Tehran,.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch.

10.22091/csiw.2020.5237.1748

Abstract

During a military operation on Friday, January 3, 2020, the US government killed Major General Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad Airport. The US Department of State announced that this operation has been conducted by the order of President Donald Trump. This act sparked a vast reaction at the international level. Specifically, the Iraqi government expressed its opposition regarding the operation on the territory of Iraq to the UN Security Council. The US operation in martyrdom of Major General Qassem Soleimani is a gross violation of international law. According to the Statute of the International Criminal Court, this act is regarded as the crime of aggression and its perpetrators are prosecutable by International Criminal Court. In addition, the US action against martyr Qassem Soleimani violates the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Offenses against Internationally Protected Persons of 1973 dispute of the parties on which can be presented before the International Court of Justice. This article attempts to examine this incident in terms of international legal aspects through reviewing the analyses presented as regards it. While outlining the illegality of the United States' operation in martyrdom of Major General Qassem Soleimani and his associates, available remedies will be suggested as well.

Keywords

References

1)      توسلی نائینی، منوچهر ، محسن پور، سمیرا، 1393ش، بررسی سیر تحول توسل به زور علیه تروریسم بین المللی از دیدگاه حقوق بین الملل و رویه قضایی بین المللی، مجله مطالعات حقوقی، ش 3.

2)      خانه اندیشمندان علوم انسانی، 1398ش، نشست تخصصی «ترور سپهبد شهید قاسم سلیمانی از منظر حقوق بین‌الملل» برگزار شده با همکاری بنیاد حقوق بین‌الملل ضیایی بیگدلی و خانه اندیشمندان علوم انسانی مورخ 15 دی ماه 1398، و همچنین، نشست دیگری با همین موضوع در خانه اندیشمندان علوم انسانی در تاریخ 29 دی ماه 1398، هر دو نشست قابل دسترسی در: https://unstudies.ir

3)      خانه اندیشمندان علوم انسانی، 1398ش، نشست علمی «بازخوانی ترور سردار شهید قاسم سلیمانی و پیامد‌های آن از منظر حقوق بین الملل»، برگزار شده مورخ 29 دی ماه 1398، قابل دسترسی در: www.tabnak.ir

4)      زمانی، سید قاسم، 1389ش، «سیاست قضایی دیوان بین‌المللی دادگستری در قبال اصل منع توسل به زور»، در نقش دیوان بین‌المللی دادگستری در تداوم و توسعه حقوق بین‌الملل، تهران، انجمن ایرانی سازمان ملل متحد.
5)     Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq, 2008, at:  https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/20081119_SOFA_FINAL_AGREED_TEXT.pdf
6)     Alleged crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/palestine
7)     Convention on Special Missions (1969), at:         https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_3_1969.pdf
8)     Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents (1973), at:     https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_4_1973.pdf
9)     Definition of Aggression, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX), at: http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/GAres3314.html
10) Elements of Crimes, at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/336923D8-A6AD-40EC-AD7B-45BF9DE73D56/0/ElementsOfCrimesEng.pdf
11) Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission, Partial Award - Jus Ad Bellum - Ethiopia's Claims 1-8, (2006), at: https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/763

12) Heller, Kevin Jon (2012), “Why Preventive Self-Defense Violates the UN Charter”, at: http://opiniojuris.org/2012/03/07/why-preventive-self-defense-violates-the-un-charter/

13) https://farsi.euronews.com/2020/01/05/iraq-parliament-calls-on-government-to-end-presence-of-us-led-international-coalition

14) Interview With Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, and Ainsley Earhardt of Fox & Friends (2020), at: https://www.state.gov/secretary-michael-r-pompeo-with-steve-doocy-ainsley-earhardt-and-brian-kilmeade-of-fox-and-friends/

15) Iraq complains to UN over U.S. attacks -foreign ministry” (2020), at: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSS8N27L04K
16) Iraq International Travel Information” (2020), at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Iraq.html#/
17) Iraqis Push for U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Symbolic Vote (2020), at: https://time.com/5759101/iraqi-parliament-vote-for-us-withdrawal/
18) It's important to remember the role Soleimani played in the fight against ISIS” (2020), at: https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/baghdad-airport-strike-live-intl-hnk/h_02d5a17ad0eebe80128bda0388b8be36
19) Kataeb Hezbollah Will 'Likely Regret' Further Provocative Behavior” (2020), at: https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/2049385/esper-kataeb-hezbollah-will-likely-regret-further-provocative-behavior/
20) Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, (2004), at: https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/131
21) Letter dated 3 January 2020 from the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (2020), at: https://undocs.org/en/S/2020/13

22) Milanovic, Marko (2020), Iran Unlawfully Retaliates Against the United States, Violating Iraqi Sovereignty in the Process, at: https://www.ejiltalk.org

23) Milanovic, Marko (2020), The Soleimani Strike and Self-Defence Against an Imminent Armed Attack, at: https://www.ejiltalk.org

24) O'Connell, Mary Ellen (2020), The Killing of Soleimani and International Law, at: https://www.ejiltalk.org

25) Oil Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America), (2003), at: https://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/90/090-20031106-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
26) Randelzhofer and Georg Notle, (2012), Article 51, in, Bruno Simma et la, The Charter of the United Nations: A Commentary, 3th ed, Oxford University Press.
27) Senior DOD Official Describes Rationale for Attack on Quds Force Commander”, at:https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/2050341/senior-dod-official-describes-rationale-for-attack-on-quds-force-commander/
28) Special Tribunal for Lebanon, at: https://www.stl-tsl.org/en
29) Statement by the Department of Defense” (2020), at:     https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/
30) Status of Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, at: https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XVIII-7&chapter=18&clang=_en
31) The Iraqi Foreign Ministry raised a complaint in two identical letters sent to both the President of the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations” (2020), at: https://www.mofa.gov.iq/2020/01/?p=7424
32) The reason Qassem Soleimani was in Baghdad shows how complex the Iran crisis is” (2020), at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/qassem-soleimani-death-iran-baghdad-middle-east-iraq-saudi-arabia-a9272901.html
33) UK's Raab says U.S. had right of self defense in Soleimani killing” (2020), at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-raab-legal/uks-raab-says-u-s-had-right-of-self-defense-in-soleimani-killing-idUSKBN1Z408N
 
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics