The international conference titled Civil Resistance Against Genocide: Global Sumud Flotilla and International Law will examine the Global Sumud Flotilla as a contemporary test case for the integrity, enforceability, and normative coherence of international law in the face of atrocity crimes, unlawful blockade, and the obstruction of humanitarian access. Convened at Muğla University on 10 May 2026, and organised by Global Sumud Flotilla and Worldwide Lawyers Association, the symposium will bring together legal scholars, legal
practitioners, human rights advocates.
The genocide in Gaza and Israeli brutality against Palestinians are continuing. Once again, humanitarian missions are under attack. Yet, civilian initiatives against the genocide in Gaza persist in the face of the Israeli regime’s vicious colonial brutality. As Israel continues to expand its assault on civilians on the high seas, the Global Sumud Flotilla’s perseverance should be accompanied by an insistent declaration of the illegality of Israel’s aggression in every corner of the world.
Situated against the backdrop of the 2025–2026 flotilla missions, the symposium proceeds from the premise that such civilian undertakings cannot be adequately apprehended solely through the doctrinal frameworks of maritime interdiction or naval security. Rather, they engage in an interrelated body of legal norms about the prevention of genocide, the prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare, the protection of civilians, freedom of navigation, and the facilitation of humanitarian relief.
The Global Sumud Flotilla stands against the illegal actions and heinous crimes of the Israeli regime. It expresses the global consciousness against the genocidal actions of Israel. It is a morally and legally commendable action against the continuation of the genocidal assault at the hands of international institutions. It exposes the colonial character of projects such as the Board of Peace.
We gather to stand with the Palestinians against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Once again, we reiterate the illegality of the Israeli aggression against the Global Sumud Flotilla. Israel’s abduction of civilians and acts of piracy on the high seas must end. Sumud’s lawful civil resistance against the genocidal machinery is consistent with international law. Sumud is a civilian initiative in line with the ICJ’s demand that “all states ensure that any impediment resulting from the illegal presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to the exercise of the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination is brought to an end.”
GENERAL INFORMATION
Programme Title: Civilian Resistance Against Genocide: Global Sumud Flotilla and International Law
Programme Date: 10 May 2026, 09:30–16:30
Venue: Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Main Conference Hall, Muğla, Türkiye
Institutional Partners: Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS) – Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University – Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF)
