Muslim Brotherhood to file UK lawsuit against Sisi

A member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is preparing to take legal action against Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi and a dozen other officials in Britain, based on a Human Rights Watch report.

London-based Brotherhood official Mohammad Sudan is in the process of trying to prosecute Sisi and 12 other senior officials for crimes against humanity, as described in a report published on the second anniversary of the military raid on Rabaa and al-Nahda Squares.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has invited Sisi to visit the UK "later this year" to discuss mutual interests.

"In a case we previously filed, a British court lifted the immunity of Egyptian ministers and officials and ruled they would be arrested upon arrival in Britain - but Sisi's immunity wasn't lifted," Sudan told al-Araby al-Jadeed's Arabic service.

"I have got around 25 MPs to sign a petition calling on Cameron to discuss Sisi's visit and the possibilities of cancelling it. British parliamentary procedures require a certain number of MPs to sign for the issue to be discussed," he added.

"A minister in Cameron's government... has told Brotherhood leaders in London he wasn't happy with the proposed visit by Sisi and that he is taking strides to prevent the visit," Sudan said.

A Human Rights Watch report called for an international inquiry into the Rabaa massacre, in which security forces killed at least 817 people at a mass sit-in supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

The Guardian recently reported that senior Egyptian officials could face arrest for crimes against humanity if they take up a UK government invitation to visit London.

More than 1,000 people have signed an e-petition calling for the UK to rescind its invitation to Sisi over his poor human rights record.