Business Standard

Egypt marks first anniversary of the pro-Morsi sit-ins

Image

Press Trust of India Cairo
Hundreds of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi today clashed with police while staging several rallies across Egypt to commemorate the first anniversary of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood protesters' killings.

Egyptian security forces used teargas to disperse around two hundred demonstrators who were attempting to block highways and roads in Cairo and Giza.

In Cairo governorate, nearly 200 demonstrators gathered at Halmia El-Zaitoun Square, blocking the traffic from both sides and chanting anti-police and anti-army slogans, Al Ahram reported.

In the country's second largest city of Alexandria, security forces used tear gas to disperse three small protests after protesters burned tires and blocked main roads while shouting slogans against the military.
 

Protesters also staged protests in several other cities around Egypt, demanding accountability for officials who ordered the bloody dispersals one year ago.

The protests have erupted in response to calls by the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, Morsi's main support bloc, to commemorate the violent dispersal one year ago.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a police sergeant was killed and two of his siblings injured today when unknown assailants fired at their car on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, security source said.

On 14 August last year security forces dispersed by force pro-Morsi sit-ins at Rabaa and Nahda squares, killing nearly 600 protesters, according to the Egypt's National Council for Human Rights.

The attacks targeting police and military have increased substantially since then, resulting in killing of more than 500 security personnel so far.

Muslim Brotherhood leader Morsi, who won Egypt's first free presidential election in 2012, was ousted by the military in July last year following protests against his rule.

Former army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, widely considered the chief orchestrator of Morsi's ouster and subsequent imprisonment, was declared the winner of a presidential poll in May this year.

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Aug 14 2014 | 7:45 PM IST

Explore News