The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters decided on Sunday to postpone the settling of two appeals filed by lawyers Ali Ayoub and Malek Adly on the Red Sea islands case to 25 December. The lawyers had appealed a verdict issued by the court to suspend the execution of a verdict previously issued by the Administrative Court which annulled the Red Sea islands deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
According to a previous verdict by the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters, the Red Sea islands deal is still valid and should be executed. Meanwhile, different judicial measures are being undertaken by the two aforementioned lawyers and the Administrative Court.
The government had concluded on 8 April that the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir were Saudi Arabian, but opponents of this decision have argued that the islands are Egyptian and refused to cede sovereignty over them to Saudi Arabia.
Adly had publicly voiced his opposition to the deal and had participated in protests after the deal was announced. He was subsequently imprisoned for plotting to overthrow the government and spreading false news, among a myriad of other charges.
According to Article 151 of the Constitution, relinquishing authority over territory is a violation, even if it was ratified by the parliament and passed by public referendum.
