• EGYPT
  • September 21, 2014
  • 7 minutes read

Walid Sharabi Reveals Details of Netherlands Criminal Case Against Coup Commanders

Walid Sharabi Reveals Details of Netherlands Criminal Case Against Coup Commanders

 Justice Walid Sharabi, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council, issued the following statement which reveals the details of the criminal case against the coup leaders:



Four Dutch citizens were at the Egyptian revolutionaries’ sit-in sites in front of the Republican Guard Club, in front of the podium (Manasseh) and in the vicinity of Rabaa Square, in 2013. During peaceful activities in these areas, army and police forces opened fire on protesters in front of the Republican Guard Club. This led to the injury of a Dutch citizen.


Then, police forces (alone) opened fire on peaceful protestors in front of the memorial area (Manasseh). This led to the injury of another Dutch citizen. A little later, army and police forces opened fire on protesters in the vicinity of Rabaa Square. This led to the injury of two Dutch citizens.


These four Dutch citizens filed a formal complaint to the investigating authorities in the Netherlands after documenting injuries and their causes, in which they accused the following persons of attempted murder and causing them injury:


1. Adly Mansour: The military- appointed President of Egypt and head of the National Security Council (NSC), at the time.
2. Hazem El-Beblawi: Prime Minister and member of the NSC, at the time.


3. Major-General Mohamed Ibrahim: Minister of Interior and member of the NSC.


4. Major-General Mohamed Farid Al-Tohami: Chairman of the NSC, member of the NSC.


5. Major-General Mohamed Ahmed Zaki: Commander of Republican Guard forces.


6. Major-General Medhat Minshawi: Commander of Special Operations forces in the Central Security apparatus.


Whilst preparation of the case file took several months, research and study of legal considerations led to several conclusions:


1. Investigating agencies and the courts in the Netherlands (the victims’ homeland) have jurisdiction to investigate and rule on crimes committed against its citizens.


2. Dutch courts have no jurisdiction to investigate or judge Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi due to immunity of the position he currently holds.


3. When the case is referred to the Dutch court, a guilty verdict may be issued in absentia against the defendants if they fail to attend the trial. The defendants cannot appeal this ruling except by attending in person before a court of appeal.


4. If no guilty verdict is issued against the defendants, the European Court of Human Rights would then have jurisdiction, since the victims are Europeans injured as a result of the accused committing crimes against humanity.


5. The case is complex; and still needs extensive work by the lawyer, the victims and the ‘Tawasol’ rights organization, which coordinated efforts to bring this matter to justice.


This statement is only an announcement of the start of a new lawsuit against symbols of the military coup in Egypt.


Justice Walid Sharabi


Secretary-General of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council


September 19, 2014