Sen. Leahy Asks for Probe of Alleged Human-Rights Violations

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and ten House members have asked the Obama administration to investigate human-rights violations allegedly committed by Israel and Egypt.

In a letter dated February 17 obtained by Politico, the legislators referred to unspecified extrajudicial killings by the militaries of both countries. It also mentioned forced disappearances of Egyptian dissidents, secretly abducted or imprisoned without trial.
“In light of these reports we request that you act promptly to determine their credibility and whether they trigger the Leahy Law and, if so, take appropriate action called for under the law,” the letter was quoted as saying.

The senior Vermont Democrat is the author of a law that conditions U.S. military aid to foreign countries on their human-rights records.

The letter comes to light less than a week after an IDF soldier was accused of killing a terrorist who had already been neutralized. Legal action against the soldier began on Tuesday, though no indictment has yet been filed.