Crackdown on Morsi supporters leaves dozens dead in Egypt

Egypt’s interim interior minister has pledged that protests calling for the reinstatement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi would be dispersed “soon”.

Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Mohamed Ibrahim said security forces would act “in a legal fashion” to disperse the demonstrations “as soon as possible”.

He said security forces would act to ensure “the minimum losses possible”.

Ibrahim insisted that security forces wanted to “prevent bloodshed,” and made reference to complaints he said had been made by residents of the areas where Morsi supporters are demonstrating.

He also denied police had opened fire, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of exaggerating for political ends.

Conflicting reports have emerged over the number of people killed in overnight clashes between those protesting against military rule and security forces in the Egyptian capital.

The violence late Friday and into Saturday marks one of the bloodiest periods since the army removed Morsi from power earlier this month. But Morsi supporters have vowed to continue their protests in spite of the unrest.

The health ministry, meanwhile, has put the figure at 72 killed so far, based on the number of bodies recieved at the morgue.

 

Morsi has been held in secret military detention since July 3. The official MENA news agency said the Islamist leader is being detained while officials investigate charges he conspired with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Security forces say they were confronted by violent protesters marching from a Muslim Brotherhood encampment in Cairo on Saturday. However, Morsi supporters have blamed security forces for much of violence.

 

At a Saturday news conference, a spokesman for Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement Ahmed Arif said security forces had fired on demonstrators. He also criticized Egyptian state media for what he described as biased coverage of the unrest.

 

Doctors at the field hospital in Cairo said they were being overwhelmed. The facility is located at the site of a sit-in in Cairo’s Nasr City, a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold, where protesters have been camped for more than three weeks.

In Alexandria, Egyptian authorities said people inside a mosque fired shots into the surrounding neighborhood on Saturday, while Morsi supporters said gunmen were shooting into the mosque.

 

Morsi’s presidency and his subsequent ouster has bitterly divided Egyptians.

Morsi is also accused of conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip and has strong links with the Muslim Brotherhood.

On Saturday, the interior ministry said that Morsi would be transferred to Torah Prison, where Mubarak is being held.

 

World leaders are expressing increasing concern about the rising violence, the polarization of Egyptian society, and the army’s crackdown on Brotherhood leaders.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that he was deeply concerned about the recent bloodshed.

“In this extremely volatile environment, Egyptian authorities have a moral and legal obligation to respect the right of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” he said.

Earlier, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she “deeply deplores the loss of life” on Saturday and urged all sides to halt the violence.

The Egyptian military says it was obligated to remove Morsi, Egypt’s first elected president, in the midst of enormous, nationwide protests against his rule.

Morsi narrowly won the presidential election in June 2012 but his opponents accused him of trying to impose an Islamist agenda on the country.

Source: Agencies / The Times Of Earth