- Title: In final ruling, Egypt court rejects transfer of Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia
- Date: 16th January 2017
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JANUARY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** EXTERIOR OF STATE COUNCIL COURT HEARING IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDING JUDGE, AHMED EL SHAZLI, SAYING: "The court rules to refuse the request for appeal." ATTENDEES CHEERING ATTENDEES CHANTING (Arabic): "THEY ARE EGYPTIAN, THEY ARE EGYPTIAN" ATTENDEES CHANTING (Arabic): "BREAD, FREEDOM, THESE ISLANDS ARE EGYPTIAN" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDING JUDGE, AHMED EL SHAZLI, SAYING: "Lastly, it has resided in the court's belief that Egypt's sovereignty on Tiran and Sanafir is indisputable." ATTENDEES CHEERING / CLAPPING CROWD CHANTING OUTSIDE COURT SECURITY OUTSIDE STATE COUNCIL / LAWYER KHALED ALI LIFTED UP MAN RAISING EGYPTIAN FLAG EXTERIOR OF STATE COUNCIL
- Embargoed: 30th January 2017 11:08
- Keywords: Egypt Cairo islands Saudi Arabia Red Sea Tiran Sanafir court
- Location: No-Data-Available
- City: No-Data-Available
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZBYN2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:An Egyptian court rejected on Monday (January 16) a government plan to transfer two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, in a final ruling that prompted cheers in the courtroom but could deepen tensions with the country's erstwhile financial backer.
Egypt's government announced during a visit by the Saudi king in April a maritime demarcation accord that would see it cede control of Tiran and Sanafir.
The deal prompted protests from Egyptians who said they had been taught in school that the islands belonged to them.
It has become a source of tension between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which showered its ally with tens of billions of dollars in aid in recent years but suspended petroleum supplies in September amid growing differences.
Two leading lawyers challenged the legality of the accord at the Higher Administrative Court, a powerful judicial body which deals with cases involving the government and public entities.
In June, the court annulled the agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands could not be given up.
The Egyptian government received a boost last month when the court upheld its appeal but it lost the final appeal on Monday.
Celebrations erupted as the judge read out the verdict confirming Egyptian sovereignty over Tiran and Sanafir and saying that the government had failed to provide evidence that the islands belonged to Saudi Arabia.
Outside the courthouse, hundreds of people waving Egyptian flags chanted "Egyptian, Egyptian" and "Bread, Freedom, the islands are Egyptian".
Khaled Ali and Malek Adly, the two human rights lawyers who led the legal challenge to the government's plan, were carried out of the courtroom by jubilant supporters.
There was no immediate response from the government.
Saudi and Egyptian officials had argued that the islands belonged to Saudi Arabia and were only under Egyptian control because Riyadh asked Cairo in 1950 to protect them.
But the lawyers who opposed the accord said Egypt's sovereignty over the islands dated back to a treaty in 1906, before Saudi Arabia was founded. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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