Lawyer: Court ignores claims of conflict of interest in Tiran and Sanafir case

A lawyer from the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) claimed the state has ignored challenges to the composition of the court reviewing the Tiran and Sanafir island case, alleging the judge hearing the case has a conflict of interests.

Lawyer Mohamed Adel Soliman from ECESR claims the court has not considered any of his concerns and has not reviewed alleged evidence that the judge on the case, Fawzy Abdel Rady, is working as an advisor to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

A decision regarding these concerns was adjourned on Saturday to August 27.

In June, Egypt's High Administrative Court invalidated a border deal between the Egyptian government and Saudi Arabia concerning the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir. This ruling is being appealed by the Egyptian state.

Soliman added that the court has also not made documents accessible to lawyers that allegedly prove the Saudi Arabian ownership of the islands.

A team of lawyers, led by rights advocate Khaled Ali, logged a case against the state's island deal based on maritime maps, historical records, legal resolutions and Article 1 of the Egyptian Constitution, which states that, “The Arab Republic of Egypt is a sovereign state, united and indivisible, of which no part shall be conceded.”

The decision to transfer sovereignty of the islands sparked nationwide protests against what was deemed by many as the selling of Egyptian land to Saudi Arabia. The two Red Sea islands have been under Egyptian governance for over 60 years.

Over 1,000 people were arrested between April 15 and 27 in connection with protests against the transfer of the islands.

Lawyers Malek Adly and Haytham Mohamadeen, journalists Mahmoud al-Saqqa and Amr Badr, as well as activist Zizo Abdo are all in prison pending investigations into accusations of spreading false news and inciting protests against the island transfer deal.