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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEgypt: Evidence points to torture carried out by Morsi supporters
Evidence, including testimonies from survivors, indicates that supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi tortured individuals from a rival political camp, said Amnesty International.
Anti-Morsi protesters told Amnesty International how they were captured, beaten, subjected to electric shocks or stabbed by individuals loyal to the former President. Since mass rival rallies began in late June, as of 28 July, eight bodies have arrived at the morgue in Cairo bearing signs of torture. At least five of these were found near areas where pro-Morsi sit-ins were being held.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/egypt-evidence-points-torture-carried-out-morsi-supporters-2013-08-02
Bandit
(21,475 posts)Last edited Sat Aug 17, 2013, 01:18 PM - Edit history (1)
dtom67
(634 posts)The whole situation is awful. I cannot get behind either side. I do, however, have an interest in the situation.
...
It is also a safe bet that the chicken hawks and military profiteers are just itching for an excuse for another war. There is still money to be extracted from the American People, and any reason for additional military spending will be seized. Egypt is a possibility.
It kills me that we "have no money" for social programs for Americans, but we have billions to spend on killing people in far away lands.
cali
(114,904 posts)intent on painting this as one sided. they ignore the atrocities carried out by the military. Many of these folks go farther that into disgusting defenses of the atrocities carried out by the military.
It's sick.
dtom67
(634 posts)because We have all been indoctrinated to equate the word " Muslim " with " Enemy " or "terrorist". So we see a group called the Muslim Brotherhood as an evil group that deserves to be stamped out. I had the same initial reaction. But the truth is I just do not know what is REALLY going on there and I have no desire to cheerlead for EITHER side. Both sides are probably guilty of crimes and I just hope the Egyptians can get the government they want.
Without us sending troops.
Or ships.
Or financial "aid" that will be used as leverage against Egypt.
And I really want us to use some of that obscene military budget for social programs here at home.
And not just for "military Keynesianism"....
oberliner
(58,724 posts)It is definitely not one sided and there is no "sizable contingent" claiming otherwise except in your imagination.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)either way.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Oberliner, could you do us a favor and tell us what else AI has to say about Egypt?
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)There must be a full and impartial investigation into the violent dispersal of sit-in protests in Cairo this week, where security forces used unwarranted lethal force and broke promises to allow the wounded to exit safely, Amnesty International said today on the basis of its research on the ground.
Unprecedented levels of violence have left more than 600 dead around Egypt. The Ministry of Interior reported 43 fatal casualties among security forces. The death toll is expected to climb further as bodies are transferred to official hospitals and morgues.
Based on the initial testimonies and other evidence weve gathered, there seems to be little doubt the security forces have been acting with blatant disregard for human life, and full investigations that are both impartial and independent are urgently needed, said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
While some protesters used violence, the authorities response was grossly disproportionate, seemingly not differentiating between violent and non-violent protesters. Bystanders were also caught-up in the violence.
Security forces resorted to lethal force when it was not strictly necessary to protect lives or prevent serious injury this is a clear violation of international law and standards. Previous promises to use graduated force when dispersing the sit-ins and provide ample warning and safe exits were quickly broken.
On 14 and 15 August, Amnesty International researchers visited numerous hospitals and field hospitals in Cairo, as well as the citys Zeinhum morgue and a mosque temporarily housing dozens of the dead. They documented scores of deaths, and eyewitness reports from medical staff who described how many of the injured and dead had sustained bullet wounds to the upper body.
There were dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of injured people. They mostly sustained live ammunition wounds to the upper part of the body, a doctor told Amnesty International.
A medical student described how Rabaa al-Adawiya hospital had to be evacuated after security forces entered the building amid heavy tear gas fire, and its first floor was set alight:
The security forces were attacking the hospital. The doctors ordered us to close the curtains and windows to avoid the tear gas. I saw snipers on the roofs of buildings near the hospital, they were dressed in black. Then another doctor told us that the security forces got into the first floor. . One security officer hit me with the rifle-butt on my back and pushed me towards the stairs. I got out of the hospital. The security forces then told us to take the bodies and patients. The first floor was on fire.
Other eyewitnesses reported that the heavy gunfire outside the hospital prevented the safe exit of the wounded, and led to the death of a hospital security guard.
A nurse at a field hospital at the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in told the organization how men in black uniforms threatened her at gunpoint:
There was a gun pointing at me through the window. There were three men, two in black uniforms and one in civilian dress. The civilian screamed at me telling me to open the door, and asking if we had weapons inside I pleaded with them that there were only injured and dead inside.
Amnesty International is calling for UN experts especially the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to be given access to the country to investigate the circumstances of the violence and the pattern of excessive and unwarranted lethal force used by the Egyptian authorities since the 25 January Revolution.
Given the Egyptian authorities poor track record in holding members of the security forces accountable for using excessive, and unwarranted, lethal force against protesters since the 25 January Revolution, Amnesty International is concerned about the ability of the Public Prosecution to conduct full, impartial and independent investigations.
Background
As of Friday morning, Egypts Health Ministry reported 638 deaths across Egypt. Of these, 288 were in the Nasr City neighbourhood, the site of the main pro-Morsi sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. This makes it the bloodiest single incident since the outbreak of the 25 January Revolution more than two years ago.
By contrast, during the 18 days of the 25 January Revolution in 2011, a total of 846 people were killed, according to official statistics.
The dispersal followed repeated threats by the Egyptian authorities to remove pro-Morsi protesters described as terrorists endangering national security. The smaller Nahda sit-in by Cairo University was cleared relatively quickly, while the operation to disperse the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in took about 10 hours of protracted clashes.
Around Cairo, three media workers were among the dead, and to Amnesty Internationals knowledge, at least three female protesters and one child were killed on 14 August. Clashes were reported in Giza and numerous other neighbourhoods across Egypt.
Members of the armed forces denied Amnesty International access to the Tamin al-Sihi Hospital, which reportedly received 52 corpses of those killed in the clashes, including at least one woman. It also dealt with more than 200 injuries at least half of which required the injured to be hospitalized for treatment.
Workers at Cairos Zeinhum morgue told Amnesty International that by 10 am on Thursday, 108 autopsies had been carried out, and the facility was overflowing with corpses.
On 15 August, Amnesty International researchers visited the Iman Mosque, which was converted into a makeshift morgue after family members brought in relatives killed in the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in, as well as some of those evacuated from Rabaa al-Adawiya hospital.
At the time of the visit, there were 98 dead bodies inside, among them eight charred corpses it is unknown whether they were burnt alive or after dying. Lists with names of 265 people had been hung on the mosques walls. Volunteers said that two more unidentified bodies had been brought in.
Egypts Minister of Interior justified the security forces conduct, claiming that protesters used violence, and that 43 members of the security forces, including 18 officers, were killed across the country, with more than 200 injured. He claimed that the security forces provided warnings, and only used teargas until fired upon by pro-Morsi protesters.
Particularly following the dispersals of the sit-ins, some Morsi supporters did use violence, including firearms, and launched attacks on the Giza Governorate building, police stations and security personnel. Police stations in Waraq and Kerdassa were attacked, with police officers captured, killed and beaten. In several instances, members of the security forces were captured and beaten, and one grieving relative told Amnesty International that her cousin, a police officer, was decapitated on 14 August in Giza.
Protesters at Rabaa al-Adawiya told Amnesty International that they used rocks and Molotov cocktails and set police vehicles alight in an attempt to prevent the dispersal.
Amnesty International also called on the Egyptian authorities to take immediate measures to improve security for Christians and other minorities amid an alarming rise in sectarian violence against Coptic Christians, seemingly in retaliation for their alleged support of the decision to oust Mohamed Morsi including attacks on churches, businesses and homes in several governorates. The organization has documented previous instances where the security forces have failed to protect Coptic Christian communities from such attacks.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)really?
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)arely staircase
(12,482 posts)that makes no sense whatsoever.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)...about events two weeks ago. We all know there has been street thuggery from the very beginning back in 2011, on all sides. As the ongoing massacre continues, this is what he comes up with?
I've asked the poster his purpose. Perhaps he will clarify.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)No justification for such a massacre exists as far as I'm concerned.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Where is there any comment about it being okay to massacre hundreds of demonstrators?
Only in your mind.
Amnesty International has done a good job of calling out the human rights violations in Egypt no matter which party is responsible - and I commend them for that.
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)I'm always in favor of knowing more rather than less. Amnesty International is a pretty reputable source. This article provides some information worth knowing. Let's hope that there will be a way forward that is peaceful and just.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)under any of the governments...
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)I'm no fan of the MB but we're not getting the full story on either side.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)My neighbors who are in Egypt this summer have told me their Church was desecrated in Egypt.