Egyptian military disperses protesters
Source: Agencies |
August 2, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Egyptian army moved into Cairo's Tahrir Square yesterday and cleared a few hundred protesters who remained camped there after the main groups suspended a three-week demonstration held to demand faster democratic reforms.
There was little sign of violence, though witnesses said some shots were fired in the air, as army vehicles and troops acted to end the public show of displeasure with the military high command handling a transition towards free elections.
The protest group on April 6 said it objected to emptying the square by force. The group shelved its sit-in on Sunday for the duration of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began yesterday.
Witnesses said some in the square were detained by military police, a move the Cabinet described on its Facebook page as accompanied by "cheers of support from citizens." The number of arrests was not known.
The army acted two days before the start of former President Hosni Mubarak's trial over his role in killing protesters during the uprising centered on Tahrir Square that toppled him on February 11. Demonstrators had been calling for a swift trial.
Mubarak, 83, who went into hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in April, signed a court summons to attend the trial in Cairo tomorrow, the state broadcaster's website reported.
The health minister said Mubarak's condition "was partially stable and there was no problem moving him" to Cairo.
There was little sign of violence, though witnesses said some shots were fired in the air, as army vehicles and troops acted to end the public show of displeasure with the military high command handling a transition towards free elections.
The protest group on April 6 said it objected to emptying the square by force. The group shelved its sit-in on Sunday for the duration of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began yesterday.
Witnesses said some in the square were detained by military police, a move the Cabinet described on its Facebook page as accompanied by "cheers of support from citizens." The number of arrests was not known.
The army acted two days before the start of former President Hosni Mubarak's trial over his role in killing protesters during the uprising centered on Tahrir Square that toppled him on February 11. Demonstrators had been calling for a swift trial.
Mubarak, 83, who went into hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in April, signed a court summons to attend the trial in Cairo tomorrow, the state broadcaster's website reported.
The health minister said Mubarak's condition "was partially stable and there was no problem moving him" to Cairo.
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