The Federal Court ordered an investigation against an Israeli soldier, who is currently on Brazilian soil, for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Police, with requests for action from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF).
The determination was made by federal judge Raquel Soares Charelli, dated December 30, 2024, with orders on January 3 to send material to the PF.
“Considering the need to comply with the steps required by the Federal Public Ministry, I determine the complete download of the files (full download of the files), separately downloading the part inserted in the aforementioned ID, due to secrecy, for sending to the Federal Police by email ”, highlights the judge in the decision.
The initial request for investigation was made through a criminal report formulated by lawyers Maira Machado Frota Pinheiro and Caio Patrício de Almeida, who claimed that Yuval Vagdani, an Israeli citizen and possible “war criminal”, is in national territory and that, therefore, the Brazilian State, as a signatory of international treaties, such as the Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute, has the duty to repress such crimes, even if they were committed outside the territory national.
“Applying the principle of extraterritoriality and universal jurisdiction to process and judge the news”, says the judge.
The initial suspicion is that the Israeli was in Morro de São Paulo, Bahia, and, therefore, the case began to be processed in the state. However, it was transferred to the Federal District for legal reasons. The judge on duty in the district of Salvador, after an opinion from the MPF, sent the case to Brasília based on art. 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The article establishes that, for crimes committed outside Brazilian territory, jurisdiction lies with the capital of the state where the accused last resided.
A CNN was unable to contact Yuval Vagdani.
