Egypt army draws fire over protests
Source: Agencies |
December 21, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EGYPT'S ruling generals are coming under mounting criticism at home and abroad for the military's use of excessive force against unarmed protesters, including women, as they try to crush the pro-democracy movement calling for their ouster.
At least 14 people have been killed in five days of clashes as troops used guns, tear gas and batons to try to break up protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square and around it, where a number of important government buildings are located. Troops and riot police raided Tahrir again early yesterday in a latest attempt to evict protesters, a field hospital doctor who witnessed the crackdown said.
Social-media-savvy protesters have widely circulated some of the most brutal images of the crackdown. In one, soldiers drag a young woman on the ground, stripped half naked and stomp on her.
Those images drew the ire of the United Nations rights chief and unusually harsh words from United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Addressing students at Georgetown University in Washington on Monday, Clinton said the recent events in Egypt were shocking and accused the Egyptian security forces and extremists of specifically targeting women.
"And now, women are being attacked, stripped, and beaten in the streets," she said. "This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonors the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform, and is not worthy of a great people."
Yesterday, hundreds of angry women marched in central Cairo to denounce the attacks on protesters and call on the ruling generals to step down. Their anger was mostly focused on the case of the woman stripped half naked and beaten.
"Ali Baba and the 19 thieves!" said one protester, alluding to military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and the other generals sitting on the ruling military council he heads.
The military took power after an 18-day uprising forced longtime leader Hosni Mubarak to step down 10 months ago. At first, they were welcomed by the protesters for helping to push Mubarak out, but relations have deteriorated sharply since February as the activists accused the generals of mismanaging the transition period, obstructing reforms, committing human rights abuses and failing to revive the ailing economy or restore security.
Over the past few days, the military has dealt with the protesters much more roughly than at any other time since Mubarak stepped down. The crackdown may reflect the military's fury over the activists' distribution of videos showing soldiers bludgeoning women and other protesters. The weak showing of the pro-democracy movement in the parliamentary elections that began last month may have also emboldened the military.
Fueling the outrage over the troops' rough handling of protesters, a retired army general known to be linked to the ruling military council told a newspaper interviewer this week that the protesters should be thrown into "Hitler's ovens," a reference to the Nazi gas chambers used during the Holocaust.
At least 14 people have been killed in five days of clashes as troops used guns, tear gas and batons to try to break up protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square and around it, where a number of important government buildings are located. Troops and riot police raided Tahrir again early yesterday in a latest attempt to evict protesters, a field hospital doctor who witnessed the crackdown said.
Social-media-savvy protesters have widely circulated some of the most brutal images of the crackdown. In one, soldiers drag a young woman on the ground, stripped half naked and stomp on her.
Those images drew the ire of the United Nations rights chief and unusually harsh words from United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Addressing students at Georgetown University in Washington on Monday, Clinton said the recent events in Egypt were shocking and accused the Egyptian security forces and extremists of specifically targeting women.
"And now, women are being attacked, stripped, and beaten in the streets," she said. "This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonors the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform, and is not worthy of a great people."
Yesterday, hundreds of angry women marched in central Cairo to denounce the attacks on protesters and call on the ruling generals to step down. Their anger was mostly focused on the case of the woman stripped half naked and beaten.
"Ali Baba and the 19 thieves!" said one protester, alluding to military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and the other generals sitting on the ruling military council he heads.
The military took power after an 18-day uprising forced longtime leader Hosni Mubarak to step down 10 months ago. At first, they were welcomed by the protesters for helping to push Mubarak out, but relations have deteriorated sharply since February as the activists accused the generals of mismanaging the transition period, obstructing reforms, committing human rights abuses and failing to revive the ailing economy or restore security.
Over the past few days, the military has dealt with the protesters much more roughly than at any other time since Mubarak stepped down. The crackdown may reflect the military's fury over the activists' distribution of videos showing soldiers bludgeoning women and other protesters. The weak showing of the pro-democracy movement in the parliamentary elections that began last month may have also emboldened the military.
Fueling the outrage over the troops' rough handling of protesters, a retired army general known to be linked to the ruling military council told a newspaper interviewer this week that the protesters should be thrown into "Hitler's ovens," a reference to the Nazi gas chambers used during the Holocaust.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
