Two Turkish rights groups said on Monday that they had filed a criminal complaint demanding the halt of a ship carrying F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, scheduled to arrive in Mersin on May 1, citing Turkey’s obligations under the genocide convention.
İsrail'e MAERSK Tarafından Gerçekleştirilecek F-35 Parçaları Sevkiyatına Karşı Yapılan Hukuki Girişimler Hakkında Kamuoyu Bildirisi
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Public Statement on the Legal Actions Taken in Türkiye Against the Shipment of F-35 Components to Israel By MAERSK pic.twitter.com/WRux7MK3SF— WOLAS – Yeryüzü Avukatları Derneği (@wolasorg) April 29, 2025
The Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS) and human rights group Mazlumder said on Monday they had filed a criminal complaint with a Turkish court against those responsible for the shipment aboard the Denmark-based shipping company Maersk Line’s vessel, the Nexoe Maersk. They requested the seizure of the F-35 components and the denial of the ship’s entry to the Port of Mersin, pointing to Turkey’s legal obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The Nexoe Maersk was initially scheduled to call at Mersin on April 28 before continuing to Israel’s Haifa Port. However, according to monitoring data and activists’ reports, the ship first arrived in Haifa and is now expected to proceed to Mersin.
Protesters argue that public pressure forced a change of course but that the ship’s call at Mersin has not been entirely canceled.
Nexoe Maersk, Mersin’e uğramadan doğrudan Hayfa’ya ulaştı!
ABD’den Fas’a her limanda protesto edilen MAERSK'in soykırım rotasındaki Nexoe, kamuoyu baskısıyla rotasını değiştirdi. Ama durmadı! Bu, F-35 uçak parçalarından oluşan yükünün ne kadar stratejik olduğunu ve ısrarlı… https://t.co/S9js3It0lH pic.twitter.com/LS8AdrVqWn
— Direniş Çadırı (@direniscadiri) April 29, 2025
Documents reviewed by Declassified UK show that Maersk ships, including Nexoe Maersk, are transporting components produced at the United States Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, operated by Lockheed Martin. The components are destined for Israel’s Nevatim Air Base, where the Israeli air force’s F-35 fighter jets are stationed. These jets have been used in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including airstrikes that killed civilians.
According to the rights groups’ joint public statement, the shipment constitutes a violation of Turkey’s obligations to prevent genocide, based on the International Court of Justice’s January 2024 ruling, which found that Israel’s actions in Gaza present a plausible risk of genocide.
The statement said that “the immediate seizure of the F-35 components, which qualify as instruments of crime, and the suspension of the shipment are imperative.” The groups also cited Turkey’s intervention at the International Court of Justice case against Israel and its status as a party to the genocide convention.
A technical report issued in November 2024 under the Mask Off Maersk campaign documented that Maersk’s shipments from Fort Worth’s Lockheed Martin facilities were directed to Israeli military bases. It disputed Maersk’s claims that shipments occurred solely between private companies, stating that Lockheed Martin facilities at Nevatim Air Base provide direct services to the Israeli air force.
Maersk has faced protests in Morocco, France, Spain, the United States and Turkey over its military shipments to Israel. Activists staged protests at ports in Tangier, Algeciras, Houston and Istanbul, targeting Maersk ships suspected of carrying military cargo.
In İstanbul the Palestine Action Committee organized a protest in front of the Karaköy Port Authority on April 18, calling for Turkey to block the Nexoe Maersk’s entry to Mersin.
The committee warned that Turkey’s failure to act would implicate it in Israel’s military actions in Gaza. “The ministry that allows the passage of this ship will have blood on its hands,” said Duygu Yeşil, who read the protest statement.
The call echoed appeals from labor unions and Palestinian solidarity groups across North America, Morocco and Europe.
Critics accuse Turkey of hypocrisy, citing reports that crude oil shipments from Turkey to Israel have continued despite an embargo announced in May 2024. The Stop Fueling Genocide campaign reported that at least 10 shipments of Azeri crude oil transported through Turkey’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline reached Israel’s Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company terminal in Ashkelon throughout 2024.
Turkey’s minister of energy had denied shipments to Israel since the embargo but did not address evidence presented by activists.
Protesters accuse the government of enabling Israel’s military capabilities while using pro-Palestinian rhetoric for domestic political purposes. Criticism has focused on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his inner circle’s business ties, including allegations that companies linked to the Erdoğan family engage in trade with Israel.
The government has also faced accusations of suppressing activists who challenge these policies. In December 2024 nine protesters who interrupted Erdoğan’s speech at the TRT World Forum, accusing him of facilitating crude oil shipments to Israel, were arrested and later released after a public outcry.
The Palestinian Youth Movement, which has led protests against Maersk, said in a statement, “Israeli fighter jets cross Palestine’s skies every day; they are the military foundation for the current Israeli genocide.” The group accused Maersk of being part of the military supply chain and called for a “people’s arms embargo” to prevent the shipment of military goods to Israel.
According to the schedule on Maersk’s website, Nexoe Maersk, a Hong Kong-flagged vessel, is currently scheduled to arrive at Mersin’s MIP Terminal on May 1 at 14:00 local time.
WOLAS and Mazlumder have demanded that Turkey not let the ship enter the port and prosecute those responsible under domestic and international law. They argue that Turkey’s international legal obligations require it to prevent any further transfer of military equipment that could be used in operations violating international humanitarian law.
The rights groups’ statement emphasized that Turkey’s intervention would not only fulfill its legal obligations but also its moral duty to humanity.
Activists have vowed to continue protests in Mersin and other ports to pressure authorities to act. Labor unions representing port workers have also been urged to refuse cooperation with ships carrying military cargo destined for Israel.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 52,314 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.
In its 2025 report, The State of the World’s Human Rights, Amnesty International described 2024 as the year the world became a passive audience to a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza, as Israel killed thousands of Palestinians and razed entire communities. It warned that the continued arms transfers and political cover provided by powerful states, including the United States and Germany, revealed a global order willing to ignore genocide in plain sight.