Open Letter to Prime Minister of Greece on Gaza Flotilla

Open Letter to George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece, on Gaza Flotilla

July 6, 2011

Dear Sir,

I am extremely concerned at the actions of your government in preventing from leaving Greek waters the vessels of the Freedom Flotilla 2 – Stay Human, which are attempting to carry material and symbolic humanitarian aid to the people of the illegally-blockaded Gaza Strip.

I believe these actions put the Greek state in breach of both international law, and customary international humanitarian law.

Regarding international law, the Greek Coastguard actions in my view constitute breaches of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), namely Articles:
17 - Right of innocent passage,
24 - Duties of the coastal State,
300 - Good faith and abuse of rights,
301 - Peaceful uses of the seas

and possibly also:
27 - Criminal jurisdiction on board a foreign ship, and
28 - Civil jurisdiction in relation to foreign ships.

Regarding customary international humanitarian law, I refer you to the San Remo Manual, which stipulates that starvation blockades are unlawful, and requires the blockading power to allow relief shipments if a secondary effect of the blockade is that civilians are short of food or other essential supplies.

The Freedom Flotilla 2 is comprised of vessels carrying such essential supplies, and these vessels are specifically listed in the San Remo Manual as being exempt from attack, as per Paragraph 47 (f) vessels charged with religious, non-military scientific or philanthropic missions.

Given that Greece is acting at the behest of the blockading power of Israel, I believe it is acting in contravention of the San Remo Manual.

It would be a tragedy if Greece, the cradle of democracy and codes of ethical behaviour, abdicated both its higher moral capacity and its own autonomy in relation to this issue.

I therefore urge your government to act with independence, and in keeping with the principles of human ethics and decency, as well as of honourable international citizenship, and permit the Freedom Flotilla 2 – Stay Human to leave Greece immediately, and deliver its cargo of aid and hope to the illegally-besieged people of Gaza.

Your obligations under UNCLOS, particularly that to guarantee these vessels the right of innocent passage, demands no less.

LET THE BOATS SAIL TO GAZA!

Respectfully yours
Julie Webb-Pullman
New Zealand

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