Family of American-Turkish Mavi Marmara victim sues Ehud Barak
Former defense minister served with lawsuit while attending conference in US; Furkan Dogan was among 9 killed in 2010 commando raid on Gaza-bound vessel
File: In this Monday Jan. 17, 2011 file photo, former Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak attends a press conference at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem. (AP/Bernat Armangue, File)
LOS ANGELES — Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak is being sued in the US by the family of an American-Turkish national killed in the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident during a commando raid in which nine Turkish activists died in clashes with Israeli forces on a ship attempting to break the Gaza blockade.
Barak was Israeli defense minister at the time.
The Turkish parents of 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, among the nine killed in the raid, sued Barak in federal court in Los Angeles on October 16. The parents’ attorneys say Barak was served Tuesday after giving a speech near Los Angeles.
The attorneys say Barak is a war criminal and that Dogan’s family deserves justice.
Footage taken from the ‘Mavi Marmara’ security cameras, showing activists preparing to attack IDF soldiers, May 2010. (Photo credit: IDF Spokesperson / FLASH90)
Dogan was killed May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos intercepted the Mavi Marmara ship as it attempted to bust Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers acted in self-defense after they were attacked with lethal weapons. Several soldiers were seriously wounded in the clash.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation and provoked a major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey.
The Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles couldn’t immediately provide a contact for Barak, who is still in the area.
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