ICC Note:
“An international rights group warned Tuesday that Egypt’s ruling generals may try to cover up the circumstances surrounding the killings of more than 20 Coptic Christian demonstrators when the military broke up their protest by force earlier this month,” The Associated Press reports.
By Maggie Michael
10/25/2011 Egypt (AP) – An international rights group warned Tuesday that Egypt’s ruling generals may try to cover up the circumstances surrounding the killings of more than 20 Coptic Christian demonstrators when the military broke up their protest by force earlier this month.
Egypt’s ruling military council, which took power after the February ouster of Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising, have portrayed the Oct. 9 protest and the ensuing bloodshed as the work of provocateurs. They could shield the soldiers from blame.
The violence and the military’s handling of the aftermath have fueled criticism that Egypt’s new rulers are not implementing reforms that would lead to an open, democratic regime.
“The military has already tried to control the media narrative, and it should not be allowed to cover up what happened on October 9,” said New-York based Human Rights Watch spokesman Joe Stork.
The clashes left 27 people dead, at least 21 of them Christians, the deadliest single incident since Mubarak’s ouster. After months of growing tensions between the youthful protesters that spearheaded the uprising and the ruling military, the killings brought relations between the two sides to a new low. Activists accuse the ruling military council of behaving like the old regime. The generals have been pressing for an end to street protests.
The Christian minority, about 10 percent of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population, has long complained of discrimination. Attacks on Christians have significantly increased since the uprising.
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