On Monday, an administrative court scheduled the first trial session to contest Saudia Arabia and Egypt’s maritime border demarcation on 17 May.
Prominent rights lawyer Khaled Ali submitted a lawsuit to the State Council on Sunday, petitioning the court to return the Red Sea islands Sanafir and Tiran to Egyptian sovereign control.
Ali, along with lawyers Tarek Al-Awady and Malek Adly, is seeking public support for the lawsuit and is asking members of the public to join the case by investing the lawyers with power of attorney or presenting documentation to verify ownership of the two islands.
The lawyers have not tallied the total number of requests from the public to partake in the lawsuit, Al-Awady told Daily News Egypt.
The lawyers filed the case amid public outrage against the decision to transfer sovereignty of the islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.
After nearly six years of discussions and negotiations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, a decision was reached during the first official visit by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
Critics argue that the agreement was unconstitutional as it did not confer with parliament.
“It is a constitutional right granted to all citizens to file such a lawsuit to safeguard their rights. This decision has a lot to do with Egyptian sovereignty and the land right of Egyptians throughout history, as well as upcoming generations,” Al-Awady said.
According to Al-Awady, the judicial decision will be accepted unconditionally. “If there is a lack of trust in the judicial system in Egypt, then there is no point of working as lawyers. We just do what we can and hope for the best.”
