French group accuses Egypt prime minister of torture

The French branch of Alliance for Freedom and Dignity International [AFD] has filed a lawsuit in the French courts against Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, accusing his administration of torturing Egyptian civilians.

AFD made the case while Mahlab was in France on an official visit that started Monday.

"Mahlab is head of the Egyptian executive and can be prosecuted for torturing and killing Egyptians, according to two sections of Article 489 of French criminal law. This allows French authorities to prosecute people accused of torture outside France if they are on French soil," Abd al-Majid Merari, head of AFD France told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

AFD filed a similar case against the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in May 2014 that is still being investigated according to Merari.

The nonprofit organisation wants to file as many cases as it can against high-ranking Egyptian officials. It hopes to inform the French public about "the crimes committed by the Egyptian regime against its opponents under the backdrop of total silence from the international community".

Similar cases have been successful in French courts. Head of the Moroccan secret services Abdellatif Hammouchi was summoned to testify on torture cases in France after many accusations of torture were made against him.

Mauritanian army captain Ali Ould Dah was arrested while in France for torturing people in his country in 1999.

This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.