The Portuguese flag was removed from the “Kathrin” ship that was transporting explosive materials to Israel, Poland and Slovakia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The Portuguese flag has already been definitively removed from the “Kathrin” ship, which transports explosive material destined for Israel, among other countries, after completing the technical due diligence, an official Government source informed Lusa.
“Technical investigations were completed and the flag was removed. The registration was definitively cancelled,” said a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On September 30, an official source had informed Lusa that the ship had requested the withdrawal of the Portuguese flag, an “irreversible” decision, following the steps taken by the Portuguese Government with the shipowner.
The ship “Kathrin”, German-owned and until now registered in Madeira, transports explosive material destined for arms manufacturers in Israel, Poland and Slovakia.
The Left Bloc asked the Public Ministry to “inspect and prevent Portugal from being accused internationally of complicity in genocide”, in addition to proposing the hearing of the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, in the parliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs and Portugal. Communities about this case.
In September, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, asked the Government to “urgently request the removal” of the Portuguese flag from the ship “Kathrin”.
“After recognizing the plausibility of the genocide in Gaza, in January 2024, the ICJ [Tribunal Internacional de Justiça] made clear that all States have the obligation to ‘respect and ensure respect’ for the Genocide Convention ‘in all circumstances’, and that States have ‘international obligations relating to the transfer of arms to parties to an armed conflict’ “said the UN rapporteur at the time.
Source: Observadora
