Friday, May 02, 2014

ICC Rejects Muslim Brotherhood Call to Probe Egypt: AFP
Egyptian police occupying the universities.
AFP, Thursday 1 May 2014

International Criminal Court rejects a bid by the Muslim Brotherhood to investigate the military's alleged crimes against humanity in Egypt

The International Criminal Court said on Thursday it had rejected a bid by the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed president Mohamed Morsi to probe the military's alleged crimes against humanity in Egypt.

"A communication seeking to accept the jurisdiction of the ICC over Egypt has been dismissed as not presented on behalf of the concerned State," the ICC said in a statement.

The request had been made on behalf of the Freedom and Justice Party of former Islamist president Morsi, ousted in July amid days of protests against him, in what his supporters say was a coup.

The Brotherhood in December filed a complaint with the ICC seeking an investigation of alleged crimes against humanity committed since June 2013.

Since Morsi's ouster, hundreds of his supporters have been killed and thousands detained.

Morsi, himself, stands in trial for allegedly plotting attacks and jail breaks.

The complaint included alleged evidence of murder, unlawful imprisonment, torture, persecution against an identifiable group and enforced disappearance of persons.

It also included claims of targeted shootings and bulldozers running demonstrators over.

On August 14, at least 627 people were killed when security forces stormed Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square to disperse a sit-in by Morsi's backers.

The complaint named individual suspects in the Egyptian military but the lawyers did not wish to divulge them publicly.

Egypt has not ratified the ICC's founding Rome Statute so the court's prosecutor can only investigate the country in response to a request from the UN Security Council calls or the Egyptian government.

"The Registry verified with the Egyptian authorities whether or not such a communication was transmitted on behalf of the State of Egypt, as a result of which, the Registrar did not receive a positive confirmation," the ICC said.

The story was edited by Ahram Online.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/100295.aspx

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