Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Egypt: Rule of law elusive without confronting army and police abuses


"President Mohamed Morsi has a historic opportunity to tackle the bloody legacy of police and army and guarantee that no one is above the law in Egypt, Amnesty International said in two new reports published today. 

Under the rule of the army, a raft of human rights abuses took place, including live ammunition being turned on demonstrators.

The reports document unlawful killings, excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment against protesters by both the military and the police and are based on first-hand field investigations carried out during the rule of Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Brutality unpunished and unchecked: Egypt’s military kills and torture protesters with impunity highlights patterns of violations at three key demonstrations, and documents the brutal crackdown unleashed by the army during the 16-month rule by  the SCAF. 

It focuses on:
  • The Maspero protests of October 2011, when 27 mainly Coptic Christian protesters were killed;
  • Events outside the Cabinet Offices in  December 2011, when 17 protesters died; 
  • The Abbaseya sit-in in May 2012, when up to 12 people were killed......"

No comments: