Last update - 00:00 08/11/2007
Court petition demands IDF video of Egyptians killing refugees
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The Movement for Freedom of Information and the Hotline for Migrant Workers submitted a petition to the Tel Aviv Administrative Court this week, demanding that the Israel Defense Forces release a video that documents the killing of three Sudanese refugees at the hands of Egyptian soldiers.
In the tape from the first of August, the Egyptian soldiers can be seen beating two refugees to death for attempting to cross the border into Israel. A few days later, Channel 10 news aired a report on the incident, showing a part of the film.
In wake of the news report, the Movement for Freedom of Information asked for a copy of the tape. The IDF refused to hand it over for "security reasons" and for "fear that Israel's foreign relations would be damaged." In the petition, the movement states that the IDF did not give any information supporting their decision.
In the footage shown on Channel 10, the Sudanese are only seen running toward the Israeli border. According to IDF soldiers at the scene, Egyptian soldiers opened fire, killing one refugee and wounding another. A third refugee tried to climb the border fence but was tackled by Egyptian soldiers.
IDF soldiers were sent to the scene to try to help the refugee, and at one point they got into a tug-of-war with the Egyptians, each side holding on to the Sudanese.
"We pulled one way they pulled another, they pointed their guns at us," said one of the soldiers. He said they let go for fear that the Egyptians would fire at them.
Then the IDF soldiers said they watched helplessly as the Egyptians passed the two refugees from one to the other, beating them. "We saw them gang up on them and beat them on the ground until they stopped moving."
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak promised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over the summer that that Egypt would step up its efforts to stem the flow of African refugees seeking to cross into Israel from Sinai.
Related articles: