CAIRO: Ousted president Hosni Mubarak, former interior minister Habib Al-Adly and National Democratic Party (NDP) leaders were held responsible for killing peaceful protestors during a popular revolt that ousted Mubarak, said a fact finding committee formed by the National Council for Human Rights.
The committee issued its final report on Wednesday and sent a copy of it to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the ministerial council and the Prosecutor General to use the information in ongoing investigations.
"Al-Adly is responsible because of his political post as minister of interior, in addition to his legal responsibility for his subordinates, while Mubarak shares responsibility for the security policy towards protestors due to his constitutional authorities and as head of the Supreme Council of Police Forces," read the report.
"They are responsible because they knew and had the authority to stop the killing of protestors but didn’t do so," said Mohamed Fayeq, head of the committee.
The committee said that they might raise the case to the International Criminal Court.
The Front to Defend Egypt’s Protesters (FDEP) said that the death toll of the January 25 Revolution has gone up to 686, most of them killed on Jan. 28, dubbed the “Friday of Anger”.
"It was very difficult gathering information about martyrs because official hospital reports said that the cause of death was cardiac arrest and blood circulation problems and we had to get doctors’ accounts of the victims’ status," said Hafez Abu Seada, head of Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and member of the national council.
The committee demanded from the government to publish the names of all victims during the revolution in state newspapers to facilitate the process of applying for pensions by their families.
"We want the compensations increase and to be paid by those responsible, especially that reports of their huge fortunes are emerging every day," said Fouad Ryad, member of the committee.
Fayeq said that the most serious finding was that snipers using laser-equipped weapons — that weren’t available to ordinary police — shot protesters in the head and torso.
"These are either special forces or NDP affiliated militias that was used to attack protestors. We are asking for investigations of NDP leaders," he said.
The committee accused the NDP of organizing attacks on protesters on Feb. 2 — known as the Battle of the Camel — and demanded that if accusations are confirmed, the party should be disbanded and its assets confiscated.
"The NDP formed a semi-military organization to carry illegal acts of thuggery. That was clearly evident during the past legislative elections and attacks on protestors in Tahrir Square,” the report said.
The report also held Al-Adly responsible for the security vacuum following the police pullout from the streets on Jan. 28.
Ninety-nine police stations were burnt down and six prison complexes were attacked and more than 23,000 criminal prisoners escaped, according to the report.
"No evidence was available on the direct involvement of the ministry in opening prisons but they are responsible, because they should have tightened security around prisons in such circumstances," the report said.
This fact finding committee is different from the Independent Fact Finding Committee headed by Judge Adel Koura, former head of the Court of Cassation, which was set up by ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.
It comprised university professors and legal experts and worked closely with human rights organizations such as the EOHR in gathering and comparing data and other information.
"We presented very accurate and important information that the Prosecutor General can use in arresting those accused," Abu Seada said.
The report accused official media of inciting public opinion against peaceful protesters which implicated it in the crimes committed against them.
It demanded the investigation of officials responsible for these media campaigns, establishing a national independent council to supervise broadcast media, ending government domination over the press and disbanding the Supreme Press Council.
