Rights Group: SCAF, Government and Protesters are Responsible for Violence

Sawaseya Center for Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination blamed the current violent clashes on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Egyptian government and some of the inexperienced young protesters.

In its statement, Sawaseya stated that SCAF’s failure to dispel earlier rumors of protestors being detained inside parliament parameters by security forces and military police provoked more violence.The statement criticized government’s silence despite having the ability to calm people by responding to their demands and releasing those who were detained since the beginning of the events.

Sawaseya stressed that the official and independent Egyptian media has had a major role in the escalation of the situation. It noted that media coverage was contradictory, which confused the people and made them incapable of knowing the truth. The statement added that the biased media coverage led the masses living close by the Cabinet to take to the streets to protect the state institutions and to engage in direct confrontation with the protesters resulting in dozens of injuries occurring between the parties.

“The right to protest is guaranteed in the constitutional declaration of Egypt issued in March 2011, as well as in customs and international covenants on human rights, which affirms the right to peaceful opinion and expression and confirms the legitimacy of the demonstrations and sit-in.” the statement added.

It added that the responsibility to protect the protestors falls primarily on SCAF, which runs the country, and the Egyptian government, and that any attacks on protesters, armed forces or police is the responsibility of SCAF and the Egyptian government.

 Statement also called on protestors to exercise self-control and not to provoke the security forces or engage with them in direct confrontation in order not to provide an opportunity for anyone to turn down democratic process, which the Egyptian people sacrificed their blood to carry out, into chaos
 
The Center called on the government to conduct urgent investigation into the incidents and to bring those responsible to justice. It called on SCAF to provide full compensation for the victims and their families as SCAF bears part of the responsibility for what happened.