Egypt covering up role of security forces in killing protesters: Amnesty

A prominent human rights group has accused Egyptian authorities of covering up the role of security forces during deadly attacks on anti-government protesters last week.

Egyptian authorities intimidated witnesses and whitewashed evidence to protect the security forces, who are responsible for killing 27 protesters in three days of rallies across the country last week, Amnesty International said in a report on Sunday.

Testimony given by protesters, lawyers, witnesses and video footage revealed that security forces used excessive force, the group added.

A 17-year-old female protester and a 10-year-old child were among those killed during clashes with police last week in the cities of Cairo and Alexandria among other places.

Security forces repeatedly fired tear gas, birdshot and sometimes bullets “at random into crowds of protesters and bystanders who were posing no threat,” Amnesty said, adding, “Harrowing scenes of protesters dying on the streets of Cairo are likely to be regularly repeated, given authorities’ total failure to hold security forces to account for human rights violations.”

Egyptian officials have failed to comment on the report.

Tensions have been running high in Egypt for more than a year now, since the military ousted former president, Mohamed Morsi, in July 2013 and launched a heavy-handed crackdown on protesters.

The Egyptian government has been cracking down on any opposition since Morsi was ousted, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been accused of leading the suppression of Morsi supporters, as hundreds of them have been killed in clashes with Egyptian security forces over the past year.

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Related stories:

One protester killed in Egypt clashes Sat. Jan. 31, 2015

Egypt 'regularly' kills protesters: HRW Tue. Jan. 27, 2015

3 Egyptian protesters killed in Cairo Tue. Jan. 27, 2015

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