CAIRO: The Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that the Egyptian government is legally obliged to demand compensation for victims of Israeli war crimes committed during the wars of 1956, 1967 and the War of Attrition.
The case, which was raised against the Egyptian government by the lawyer politician Waheed Al Aqsari in 2007, is one in a string of cases raised by victims of war crimes seeking compensation.
However, this is the first case to have gained a legal ruling in favor of the prosecution and against the Egyptian government.
“This is a historical ruling. It legally obliges the Foreign Ministry to take precise procedures for Egyptian prisoners and civilians for the crimes of murder and torture committed in 1956, 1967 and the War of Attrition to ensure that they are awarded material compensation as well as apologies, Al Aqsari told Daily News Egypt.
Also chairman of the Arab Socialist party, Al Aqsari said that people accused of these crimes should also be tried in a court of law.
“There have been many cases before but they failed. We used all means possible including eyewitnesses and videos to win this case. We presented a request to the general secretary in 2001 to access official archives but we never got a reply. Despite this, we won the case.
“The government has 60 days to appeal against the ruling. Our next steps will be to present the executive section of the Foreign Ministry with the ruling and its details. If they do not appeal, they will be legally bound to complete procedures and take the case to the United Nations. Failure to do so, under Article 123, carries at least a sentence of permanent dismissal and at most imprisonment.
Ahmad Al-Fadaly, president of the newly-formed Party for Peace and Democracy, told Daily News Egypt, “If the government appeals it will be an insult and a violation of the dignity of the Egyptian people. These people are our families and our martyrs.
In a press conference held at the Arab Socialist party headquarters, Al Aqsari said, “This reveals the repulsive face of the country which claims to be the only developed and civilized country in the region . In 1995, there were admissions that war crimes were committed. If the government does nothing now, it will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
