Egypt Detains 206 In Republican Guard Clashes

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A prosecutor in Egypt has ordered that 206 defendants be detained for 15 days pending investigations in clashes that took place by the Republican Guard’s headquarters on Monday.

Egypt Detains 206 In Republican Guard Clashes
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The prosecutor accused the defendants of attempting to raid army property, attacking police and army forces, killing one officer, threatening national security, terrifying citizens and possessing illegal firearms.

After investigations in the violence that left over 50 Egyptians dead, the prosecutor detained 206 defendants and released 446 others on EGP 2,000 bail.

Egypt’s new prosecutor-general sworn into office

Judge Hisham Barakat took his oath of office as the country’s prosecutor-general on Wednesday, reported the state news agency MENA.

Barakat’s predecessor, Abdel Maguid Mahmoud, officially tendered his resignation on Tuesday, asking that he serve as a judge to avoid conflict of interest.

The same politicians who once removed Mahmoud, who was appointed by ousted President Hosni Mubarak, from his position are now standing trial.

Egypt’s interim President Adli Mansour, the head of the Constitutional Court, chose Hisham Barakat after discussing his appointment with the High Judicial Council.

Barakat last served as the head of the technical office of the Cairo Appeals Court.

Violence must not suppress Egyptian women – Acting Head of UN Women

The Acting Head of UN Women, Lakshmi Puri, called for Egyptian women’s voices to be heard without threat of violence, in statement issued on Tuesday.

“Egypt’s women have been at the heart of the vibrant civil society movement that continues to press for the rights of all Egyptians,” said Puri.

She stressed that women’s participation in public life and the inclusion of their needs and priorities in any political solution is a prerequisite for inclusive democracy in Egypt.

She added, “UN Women is concerned by reports of the high prevalence of sexual assaults against women in public spaces,” urging all parties to take a firm stand and show zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women and girls.

Puri concluded her statement saying that Egypt’s women have the right to fully participate in political dialogue without fear or threat of violence and their voices are essential to a peaceful and prosperous Egypt.

Egypt NGOs condemn army’s excessive force against Morsi supporters

Egyptian human rights organizations strongly condemned “the excessive force used by army and security forces against supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi,” in a statement issued Tuesday.

The statement was issued in response to the violence that took place on early hours of Monday outside Cairo’s Republican Guard headquarters, which left at least 55 dead and over 400 injured, according to health ministry officials.

The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) said in their statement that responses to demonstrations must comply with international standards, even if demonstrations witness violence or the use of firearms.

“International standards do not allow the excessive use of lethal force, nor do they justify the intentional murder of large numbers of protestors by snipers belonging to police or military forces.”

The statement added, “The use of force must not exceed what required to prevent the use of violence by armed individuals.”

At the same time, the NGOs also strongly condemned “the ongoing incitement to violence and killing by the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters as well as their incitement to participate in widespread clashes.”

The statement explained that such incitement “only serve to further deepen the political crisis in Egypt.”

“We condemn all forms of violence committed by some segments of Islamist groups, including the violence committed in Manial and Maspero areas of Cairo and in the Sidi Gaber area in Alexandria.”

The undersigned organizations also denounced what it described as violations which have targeted the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters in Sidi Beshr, El Zagazig, and elsewhere, as well as the incitement against them by some media outlets.

In their statement, the NGOs stressed that a fair, independent investigation “into this massacre will require the participation of independent human rights organizations and the immediate release of the findings to the public.”

They demanded that the investigating committee be comprised of judicial and rights figures known for their professionalism and impartiality.

The statement was signed by 15 NGOs, including Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Andalus Institute for Tolerance & Anti-violence Studies, Arab Penal Reform Organization, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Hisham Mubarak Law Center among other organizations.

Morsi supporters continue sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya

Supporters of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi uphold their sit-in outside the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque for the 13th day in a row, demanding the return of “legal and constitutional legitimacy” and the abolishing of decisions that followed June 30, reported the State news agency.

Hundreds of thousands of the protesters holding a sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya preformed the night prayers on Tuesday, according to the Middle East News Agency.

Egypt’s army has ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, suspended the Islamist-drafted constitution and appointed an interim president in response to mass demonstrations that swept the country on June 30.

This content is from : Aswat Masriya

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