- EGYPT
- August 14, 2015
- 3 minutes read
ERC Press Statement: Rabaa Massacre Second Anniversary
Today marks two years since the tragic Rabaa Massacre in Egypt where military and police forces dispersed, by brutal force, the peaceful sit-ins of Rabaa Square in Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza. Egyptians from all walks of life, and from different ideological and political backgrounds, formed sit-ins in Rabaa and Nahda Squares following the 3rd of July, 2013 military coup, in order to express their complete rejection for it and to demand the restoration of democracy.
According to Human Rights Watch, the Rabaa Massacre is “one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history”. In a matter of hours, thousands were killed by security forces, some were burned to death and thousands more were arrested on the day.
Dr Maha Azzam, Head of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) said, “Rabaa is a crime against humanity for which there has been no accountability. The Egyptian people and all free people demand justice for the victims of the crimes committed by the military regime in Egypt, and will not be silenced until justice is realised. Furthermore, Egyptians are proving every day that Rabaa is not just a memory but a powerful ongoing struggle for freedom and rights”.
To this day, Egyptians continue to demonstrate daily against the military coup. Today saw an increase in the numbers of demonstrators in Egypt, which clearly signals that the Revolution is still alive in the hearts of Egyptians and that they are determined to continue on the revolutionary path.
The ERC urges all Egyptians and the free people of the world, to commemorate the humanitarian tragedy of the Rabaa Massacre, and to stand side-by-side with Egyptians demanding democracy, freedom and social justice.
