The American newspaper “Washington Post” reported that the immunity request was suspended after the change of the American administration, and the case will not be reviewed until after February 26, with the stability of the basic matters for the new administration.
NEW Biden administration puts hold on Egyptian request for immunity for former prime minister Hamez El-Beblawi in torture lawsuit brought by U.S. citizen Mohamed Soltan. background here: https://t.co/KaKdt0CQXp pic.twitter.com/2qI5Ip5x9L
— Spencer Hsu (@hsu_spencer) January 23, 2021
DOJ asks U.S. judge to have until Feb. 26 for “new Department of State officials … to become familiar with the issues in this case.” Move comes in suit brought by @soltan, whose @thefreedomi advocates for prisoners of conscience in the Middle East. https://t.co/KaKdt0CQXp
— Spencer Hsu (@hsu_spencer) January 23, 2021
The Biden administration suspends an Egyptian request to grant immunity to former Prime Minister Hamzah Al-Beblawy in a torture case filed by US citizen Muhammad Sultan in US courts. https://t.co/d3DncE7rdz
– Ishaq Al-Jizani 🇳🇿 ISSAC ALGIZANI (@IsaacALawyer) January 23, 2021
NEW Biden administration puts hold on Egyptian request for immunity for former prime minister Hamez El-Beblawi in torture lawsuit brought by U.S. citizen Mohamed Soltan. background here: https://t.co/KaKdt0CQXp pic.twitter.com/2qI5Ip5x9L
— Spencer Hsu (@hsu_spencer) January 23, 2021
And the American “Washington Post” previously said, on July 10, that the Egyptian embassy in Washington had demanded the intervention of the US State Department in the case that Sultan filed against Al-Beblawy.
The newspaper added that the Egyptian embassy warned that if the US State Department did not intervene in Al-Beblawi’s favor in the case; This would harm the “strategic relationship” between the United States and Egypt, noting that the decision came after allegations of a campaign of diplomatic pressure launched by the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to block the case against Al-Beblawy.
At the time, a number of American lawmakers and human rights groups accused Cairo of blackmailing the administration of former US President Donald Trump, by threatening to weaken the strategic partnership in the Middle East, unless Washington intervened to reject a lawsuit from Muhammad Sultan (32 years old).
Earlier in July 2020, Al-Beblawy’s lawyer told the court that the Egyptian government – through its embassy in Washington – said that his client “enjoys immunity from the lawsuit, not only due to his current diplomatic status, but also personal immunity because of his official position,” on June 21 / Last June.
Al-Beblawy has been serving on the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, since November 2, 2014, and according to the diplomatic agreement, Al-Beblawy enjoys “full immunity” from criminal, civil and administrative procedures in the United States.
Punishment series #Mohammed Sultan Continuous after the disappearance of his father, Dr. #Salah_Sultan From Wadi al-Natrun prison# Evening #Egypt@loltanlife pic.twitter.com/uc7HPJXtgf
– Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) June 21, 2020
Sultan accused the former prime minister of Egypt of torturing him, saying that he would continue to defend his case until justice was served.
He added, “It is inconceivable that I see my government trying to intervene on behalf of my torturers instead of protecting its citizens. They have exposed my family and relatives to great harm, and this is not over yet. We know from the beginning that it is a long battle, and such a strike will not prevent us from seeking justice. ”
While Sultan’s lawyer cited the US Tort Victims Protection Act, a 1991 law, that allows lawsuits against those responsible for torture or inhuman treatment that take place anywhere in the world, if the accused are in the United States and do not remain in presidential or government positions.
Muhammad Sultan al-Masri has American nationality and is active in defending human rights, and since he filed a lawsuit against Al-Beblawy, the Egyptian authorities imprisoned him for 21 months (and was released in 2015), in addition to the imprisonment of a number of his Egyptian relatives, in what human rights groups described As an attempt to force him to remain silent.
Source link
https://mubasher.aljazeera.net/news/2021/1/23/%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%A7-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%AD%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9
