Citing Genocide Convention, Seven Lawyers Launch Historic Lawsuit Against Canada

One of the lawyers in this case is Dimitri Lascaris, a securities lawyer who ran for leadership of the Canadian Green Party in 2020.

Nov. 6, 2024

In Ottawa, the Coalition for Canadian Accountability in Gaza discusses a recent court filing against Justice Minister Arif Virani. This action, led by the Legal Centre for Palestine and others, seeks to hold the Canadian government account for allegedly failing to uphold its international legal obligations as they relate to the ongoing violence in Gaza.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two Palestinian-Canadians, Hany El-Batnigi and Tamer Jarada. Their families have been devastated by Israel’s war on Gaza. They allege that Justin Trudeau’s government has violated its duty under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention to prevent genocide, and has violated their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The lawyers that launched this litigation are Professor Faisal Bhabha, Professor Emilio Dabed, Jouman El-Asmar, Yavar Hameed, Dimitri Lascaris, Shane Martinez, and Asaf Rashid.

The lawsuit is being funded by the Legal Centre for Palestine (LCP). You can support the lawsuit by donating to LCP.

Watch here: https://socialistproject.ca/leftstreamed-video/citing-genocide-convention-seven-lawyers-lawsuit-canada/