Dutch lawyer filing a case against Egyptian officials in Dutch court; a publicity stunt?

Language: 
English
Sent On: 
Thu, 2014-10-02
Year: 
2014
Newsletter Number: 
53

 

Dutch lawyer filing a case against Egyptian officials in Dutch court; a publicity stunt?

 

AWR, Cairo, October 1, 2014

 

We are very pleased to inform you about our revised Arab West Foundation website!

 

Dutch lawyer, André Seebregts filed on behalf of four Dutch citizens of Egyptian origin a case on Thursday, September 18 to the Dutch general prosecution against Egyptian Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim, former President Adly Mansour and former Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi over crimes against humanity. Seebregts announced his unusual step at a press conference at Nieuwspoort, near the Dutch Parliament. The Dutch Daily Volkskrant reported about this on the same day, and one day later Egyptian media picked this up, resulting in questions from several of our Egyptian friends to which we like to respond here.

 

On Left: Lawyer André Seebregts
Source: Robin Utrecht AFP/Getty Images

 

Seebregts referred to the Law on International Crimes (Wet Internationale Misdaden, 2003). The law makes prosecution possible for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and torture: international crimes and offenses of the most serious sort committed by or against Dutch nationals or persons in the Netherlands.

 

The two key components to Seebregts case are the dual nationality of his clients and the August 12th report produced by Human Rights Watch about the violence in Egypt in the Summer of 2013. The report concluded that the violent dispersal of the sit-ins at the Raba’a al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares are likely “crimes against humanity.”

 

It is at this moment, not at all certain the Dutch prosecution will accept Seebregt’s case to be taken to court. Until then, we are only dealing with efforts of this lawyer to influence public opinion through publicity.

 

For more information about this case and the lawyer, please click here.

 

 

Cornelis Hulsman

Editor-in-chief Arab-West Report