(AFP Photo)
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called for an impartial and independent investigation of the “extreme level of political violence in Egypt” since the 3 July toppling of deposed President Mohamed Morsi by the Armed Forces.
In a Tuesday announcement, Amnesty International said that between 14 August and 18 August at least 1,089 people were killed, “many due to the use of excessive, grossly disproportionate and unwarranted lethal force by security forces.”
The 14 August forced dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Nahda Square in Cairo were cited as the deadliest single incident since the 25 January Revolution, with a death toll of at least 461 people.
“Security forces have also failed to prevent or end the alarming wave of sectarian attacks targeting Coptic Christians,” read the statement.
The Egyptian military, however, disagreed with the Amnesty International report.
“[Rabaa] was an armed sit-in. Among the weapons they had were shotguns and explosives,” stated the military media bureau. “When 500 people get injured out of 10,000, this is less than 10%. If this were outside of Egypt, they would have been annihilated.”
Since 3 July, the pro-Morsi Muslim Brotherhood has faced a series of crackdowns from the interim government. Over 2,000 Brotherhood members have faced arrest and detainment, including most of their prominent leaders. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Social Solidarity took steps to dissolve the Brotherhood’s NGO, the Muslim Brotherhood Association.
