CAIRO (Middle East Eye) – The highest court in Egypt has called on the government to sue France over the killing of a captured Egyptian officer during the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Documents published by the Arabi21 news site reveal Egypt’s Court of Cassation arguing that the killing violated the Geneva Conventions.
“The local Egyptian courts have no jurisdiction in the international prosecution of the French Republic, which necessitates benefiting from the judgment and transferring it to international courts,” the documents read.
The court noted that a 1957 letter by the Commissioner of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Egyptian defense ministry data could be used as evidence against France, as it indicates the officer was arrested unarmed then killed.
The officer’s family is demanding the French government pay compensation of 10mn euros ($11.3mn) and give an official apology, according to the documents.
Arabi21 reports that the Egyptian government has ignored the advice.
It is months since the court delivered its opinion, but the government has not followed up on what the court decided, and has not moved internationally to take the procedures granted for it to litigate against the French government over the killing of the army officer.