Around 50 protesters are being held in Heliopolis police department, many of them in urgent need of medical care.
Eyewitness Angy Naguib said 49 severely beaten protesters have been bleeding since 2 am. “The least injured has seven to nine wounds from jackknives,” Naguib said. Naguib works for a campaign called Ifrag, which tries to release military detainees, and works with groups like No Military Trials for civilians.
She said that protesters were held in the palace overnight, where they have been held for over seven hours. Among them is Yehia Negm, a former Egyptian Ambassador to Venezuela. “They’re being described as thugs, Yehia was an ambassador. He lived in exile for years and returned to Egypt only a few months ago,” Naguib said.
A picture of Negm’s beaten up face has circulated on social media but Naguib says that it merely shows 10 percent of his injuries “and he is one of the least injured.”
The protesters were injured during violent clashes that took place near the Presidential Palace, also known as Itihadiya, in Heliopolis. The clashes took place between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsy on Wednesday. The clashes have resulted in at least five dead and around 700 injured.
