{"id":6853,"date":"2026-04-18T17:51:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novact.org\/?p=6853"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:31:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:31:06","slug":"end-complicity-now-defining-moment-international-law-democracy-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novact.org\/en\/end-complicity-now-defining-moment-international-law-democracy-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"End Complicity Now: A Defining Moment for International Law, Democracy, and Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]In light of the extreme fragility of the current ceasefire between Iran and the United States, and the persistent impunity of the United States and Israel in carrying out military attacks, the NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence expresses deep concern over the accelerating erosion of international law and considers this a decisive moment for Europe to put an end to its complicity with the graves crimes being commited.<\/p>\n

The collapse of negotiations is not merely a diplomatic setback; it reflects a deeper systemic failure and exposes the volatility of the current moment. It strips away any illusion of stability and makes it imperative for the European Union to end its complicity with war\u2014and with those perpetrating it\u2014before the window for diplomacy closes entirely.<\/p>\n

What we are witnessing is not an isolated crisis, but a broader shift in the global order. We are at a crossroads shaped by a polywar marked by rearmament policies, authoritarian drift, and interconnected conflicts. Across contexts, authoritarian leaders promise order and security while restricting rights, constructing enemies, and weakening democratic institutions. The spiral of war\u2014from US\u2013Israel military attacks against Iran and Lebanon to Russia\u2019s aggression in Ukraine and Israel\u2019s ongoing genocide in Palestine\u2014signals a profound crisis in the international system. War is once again being normalized as a tool of politics, producing only death, oppression and insecurity.<\/p>\n

A Humanitarian Crisis of Alarming Scale<\/strong><\/p>\n

The US\u2013Israel military aggression against Iran, carried out during ongoing nuclear negotiations, marks\u2014once again\u2014a dangerous precedent. This is the second time in less than a year that Iran has been attacked in the midst of diplomatic talks, undermining the very foundations of good-faith negotiations and peaceful conflict resolution as enshrined in the UN Charter. The strikes have resulted in the killing of political figures and around 2,000 people, including more than 160 schoolgirls. Far from achieving regime change, these actions have instead fueled regional escalation, including Iranian attacks on US bases, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and strikes against critical civilian infrastructure, including desalination facilities, with far-reaching consequences for global energy security, inflation, and food systems.<\/p>\n

This escalation must be understood within a broader context of systemic violence and repression. The people of Iran have endured decades of severe human rights violations at the hands of their own government. Yet, as repeatedly underscored by international human rights experts, the protection of civilians and the prohibition of unlawful force are not contingent principles. International law cannot be selectively applied or instrumentalized. Violations by one actor do not justify violations by another. In this context, certain actions carried out by Iran\u2014including attacks against civilian targets, commercial vessels, and indispensable infrastructure such as water desalination facilities\u2014may amount to serious breaches of international humanitarian law and, in some cases, war crimes. Upholding the universality of international law is essential to prevent the normalization of a cycle of impunity that places civilian lives at ever greater risk.<\/p>\n

In Lebanon, Israeli military operations have forced over a million people to flee their homes. Since March, more than 1,888 people have been killed, including 130 children, 102 women, and 57 medical workers. On April 8 alone, over 300 people were killed and more than 1,150 injured following intense strikes on densely populated areas, including Beirut. At the same time, Israel\u2019s genocide in the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues, with populations facing systematic violence, destruction of infrastructure, and extreme vulnerability.<\/p>\n

NOVACT teams remains in close contact with civil society organizations across Iraq, Syria,Palestine, and Lebanon. What we are hearing from our regional partners is deeply alarming: a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, marked by widespread destruction, displacement and the collapse of essential services. At the same time, our partners are not only calling for increased humanitarian support\u2014they are demanding decisive political action. They are clear: mitigating suffering is not enough. There must be an end to the complicity that enables war crimes and violations of international law. This is a critical moment to act and to break with those dynamics once and for all.<\/p>\n

Europe: From Complicity to Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n

The European Union can no longer hide behind expressions of \u2018deep concern.\u2019 As Israel\u2019s largest trading partner and a key actor in the global arms trade, Europe is not a bystander but an active enabler\u2014through its economic ties and its role in supplying and purchasing arms from powers currently perpetrating war crimes across the Middle East. As NOVACT Director Luca Gervasoni Vila warns: \u201cFor decades, leaders responsible for war crimes sought to deny responsibility, claiming ignorance or presenting violations as unintended mistakes. What has changed today is far more alarming: authoritarian governments are no longer attempting to justify their actions within legal frameworks\u2014they are increasingly dismissing, mocking, or openly defying the rules designed to protect civilians. Europe must take now a fundamental choice: either international law remains a binding and enforceable framework, or it is reduced to an empty reference overridden by power politics. Allowing this erosion to continue would mean accepting the collapse of civilian protection as a universal principle. It is time now to end complicity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fragility of the current negotiations proves that “waiting and seeing” is a risk we cannot afford. We call on the European Union to:<\/p>\n