Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday censured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks over the execution of nine prisoners convicted of the 2015 assassination of Egypt’s former prosecutor general, Hisham Barakat.
Erdogan criticised European leaders who partook the EU-Arab League Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, saying the execution punishment was banned in the EU.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Ahmed Hafez, denounced Erdogan’s remarks over Egypt’s political leadership, saying, “this reveals his continuing defending of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood.”
He added, “In Turkey, there are more than 175 journalists behind bars, and more than 70,000 political detainees.
The statement noted that during the past two weeks, Turkey arrested 1,400 Turkish citizens and issued punitive measures against dozens of academics, journalists, society figures, and businessperson.
The nine Egyptian prisoners were among the 28 defendants who were sentenced to death in 2017, as they were accused for the car bomb attack that took place in front of Barakat’s house in Cairo.
