Round Table Discussion about US Congressional Law on “Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act”(JASTA)

As part of its interest in the implications of the US Congress’s adoption of the Justice Act against the Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA), on 3 October 2016, the Council organized a round table on the concept of State responsibility for the actions of its citizens before foreign judiciary. on Wednesday December 14^th 2016, the Council received member of the Council Professor Dr. Yassin Al Ayouti, Law Professor and Counselor of International Law, in a meeting to shed a light on the legal dimensions of the provisions of “Justice against sponsors of Terrorism Act” (briefly known as JASTA), and observation on both Arab and American positions after passing the act. The meeting was attended by President of the Council Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran, Honorary President of the Council Abdel Raouf Al Reedy, member of the Council  Ambassador Mohamed Shaker, and Director of the Council Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, and several other members of the Council.

Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran began the lecture by welcoming Dr. Yassin Al Ayouty making note of his achievements in the field of International Law, his large network of relations with American civil society associations, his contribution- through his legal expertise in legal affairs- in establishing the foundations of the UN Institute for training & research, in addition to the principal role he played in the defense of families of Egyptians victims of the doomed Egyptian plane in 1999.

He noted that the lecture comes in the agenda of the Council’s legal expert’s recent examination of the issue, and the flagrant violation of the Law for the principle of state sovereignty, as well as the future consequences of the Law under the new American Administration.

Dr. Yassin emphasized the importance of the issue especially that the Law represents another revolution inside the United States, as it revolves around the United States first and last, and that sovereignty obstructs American Justice. He then addressed the issue through six main elements: Summary of the Law, the Preamble, annulations of sovereignty principle, elements of the Law, American and Arab position towards JASTA, and finally his perception and judgment on the Law as a legal adviser.

At the end of the lecture the floor was open for comments and questions, to which Dr. Yassin gave his answers.