By Heba Hesham
CAIRO: International human rights organizations called for independent investigations into the Maspero clashes that took place Sunday between protesters and the armed forces leaving 25 people dead and over 300 injured.
“Any investigation into Sunday’s clashes must be independent, thorough and impartial, deliver answers to the Egyptian public, and identify those responsible,” a statement by Amnesty International said.
“The investigation cannot be in the hands of the army and must be truly independent, and seen as such for the witnesses and the families of the victims to trust that they can safely provide evidence and expect more than a whitewash,” the statement continued.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch also called for independent judicial authorities, not the military prosecutor, to conduct an inquiry into the clashes and hold those responsible to account.
HRW noted in a statement that “the military command has yet to investigate documented incidents of torture in March and excessive use of force in April that led to the death of a protester.”
“The high death toll from the clashes on October 9 shows the urgent need for thorough investigations that lead to accountability and better protection for the Coptic community”, Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW, said.
Amnesty International also demanded that SCAF “urgently explain how a protest against religious discrimination turned into a bloodbath.”
“The SCAF have been quick to place the blame on foreign conspiracies, sectarian tensions, or with protesters,” it said.
SCAF, according to Amnesty International, have so far refused to accept that the responsibility for the violence may lie in their policing of demonstrations.
It urged SCAF to show it can rein in the security forces and ensure they do not use excessive force.
On the other hand, HRW also stressed that the authorities should enforce a strict prohibition on religious discrimination and urgently issue a new law to allow Copts to fully exercise their right to freedom of worship.
Meanwhile, Public Prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud launched a preliminary investigation into the Maspero clashes. Military prosecution on Tuesday detained 12 people for 15 days pending investigations.
SCAF also ordered the Cabinet to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the deadly clashes.
Amnesty International also expressed its deep concern over the reporting of the protests by state television.
State television reported that armed forces were attacked by protesters, with news anchors calling for Egyptians to support and “defend” the army. Amnesty’s statement saw that as “further exacerbating the situation.”
It stated that two other television stations covering the protests, 25TV and Al Hurra, were raided by security forces, “apparently in an attempt to stem independent reporting.”
