The report should make for good fiction, but it will otherwise not be worth the paper it is printed on. "Egypt military takes over inquiry of Coptic unrest," by Aya Batrawi for the Associated Press, October 13:
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military prosecutor said Thursday his office will take over the investigation into deadly clashes between the army and Coptic Christian protesters, as the military rulers seek to fend off growing criticism over the worst bloodshed since Hosni Mubarak's ouster.
The decision effectively barred the civilian prosecutor from continuing his own inquiry and drew criticism from activists and rights groups who have grown deeply suspicious of the ruling generals' commitment to the reform path in Egypt's post-Mubarak transition to democracy.
The clashes on Sunday night and into Monday morning began with a peaceful demonstration in downtown Cairo by minority Christians angry over a recent attack on a church in southern Egypt. Witnesses said the protesters were attacked by crowds hurling stones and clashed with military units guarding the nearby state television building along the Nile.
Many of the 26 people killed — at least 21 of whom were Christians — were crushed by armored military vehicles that sped through crowds of protesters. Other victims had gunshot wounds.
In a news conference Wednesday, generals from the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces blamed Christian protesters for the violence and denied firing on them, claiming the soldiers' weapons did not even have live ammunition.
The military's decision Thursday to take full control of the investigation was more evidence, activists said, that the generals are seeking to push their version of events and prevent a further deterioration in their public standing since assuming control of the country after Mubarak's ouster in February.
The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation between the military and citizens since the uprising.
Military officials said the army wants to conduct the investigation on its own and in private due to the sensitivity of the clashes, to preserve troop morale and because soldiers were killed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
State media reported that three soldiers were killed in the clashes, though the military is refusing to give a precise number.
Activists criticized the military's takeover of the probe and said it would not be impartial.
"The military also does not do transparent investigations; it is simply run by orders," said Mohamed Zaree of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights.
He said it could also result in civilians being arrested and brought to trial in military courts, an issue that has been a major complaint of Egypt's activists in the transition period.
Khaled Ali, a human rights lawyer who successfully campaigned for autopsies to be performed on the victims, called on the prosecutor general to reveal the details of his investigation thus far.
"We will not give up on holding them accountable," he said, referring to the military.
Video of military vehicles plowing through crowds of protesters deepened the rift between the military rulers and activists who do not believe military chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak's defense minister, is serious about reform.
Activists and rights groups countered the military version of events, presenting witness accounts and videos at their own news conference on Thursday. They accused security forces of attacking peaceful protesters who were demanding greater state protection of churches.
Coptic Christians, who represent about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million, say they are treated like second-class citizens and repeated attacks on them go unpunished. Christians have felt increasingly vulnerable since Mubarak's ouster.
The autopsy report found that at least seven of those killed died of single gunshot wounds.
Some of the death certficates were also reported to be falsified, with causes of death such as "cardiac arrest caused by fear."
Witnesses said at least four vehicles chased protesters on the street and on sidewalks with the intent to run them over, in contrast with the military's contention that it was "not in the dictionary of the armed forces to run over people."...
It's too bad the muslims there are too stupid to see that they are confirming what jesus warned and what the NT said about the pagan worshippers.
The NT makes it clear that the evils ones will one day kill you thinking they are doing a favour to their god,so the more the muslims murder christians the more it exposes the scam by their misogynistic/homophobic/pedophile leader and faux-prophet.
i really wanted 9/11 to be a act of horror by insane killers with no ties to any faith, but it's now too late because of the 18'000+ Acts of Terrorism since then by Muslims and mostly to other muslims...plus, now we have Iran with the Sunni/Shiiat battle to wipe each other out to bring about Peace On Earth under a Global Caliphate.
With 5'500'000'000 innocent and peacful non-muslims on earth , the muslims should all move to Saudi Arabia and slaughter each other and stay the hell away from non-muslims with their poison and hatred. If they are predisposed to murdering people for Allah, then kill each other and do us a favour by taking a hell-hole islamic nation with you because you remind me of the movie Planet Of The Apes 2 where the Apes worship their Ape-God and then launch the Nuclear missile at the end to wipe out all life so the Ape God can create an ape-only world as the Super-race.
In canada we already have the tension between Muslims that think that their Quran is the true version, and it will only get worse as the muslim population grow in a % to dominate and then they will wage war to take power as a Sunni caliphate or Shiiat caliphate to then kill,convert or tax those non-muslims in canada.
i don't need a computer model with a vague theory, we have examples right now how muslim can turn a paradise into a hell-hole and 7th century pit of evil and torture just to please Allah . Shariah law and Islam has yet to work outside of the Theory of it because the Communism/socialism aspects force a tyranny by newer Misogynistic/homophobic/pedophlie supporters that use Muhammed as the example of the Perfect man and Perfect race to aspire to.
Michael Coren had an Egyptian Muslim on his show that also ran a islamic TV show , the guy had the nerve to deny the oppression of Christians in Egypt and then told Coren that Christians have MORE rights in Egypt then Muslims.
The taqqiyah is so thick in canada that the CBC and MSM eats up this manure and still uses CAIR for their goto expert on Moderate islam, but Dr.Sheema Khan jumped ship from CAIR right after the hamas linked evidence in the 2007 FBi trial.
Sheema Khan now tried to deny she crusaded for Sharaih Law in canada and yet she is on a TVO video archive demanded Shariah law as a Religious Right during a debate where she took side with the Irani muslims wanting Shariah law in canada too.
CAIR and Khan had supported Maher Arar's lawfare suit against candians for what Arar said in 2003 was torture by JORDAN and not his Homeland of Syria, he was caught trying to sneak into the USA on a candian Passport from Tunisia by himself , this was because CAIR blames the USA for letting the 19 hijackers into the Country....but this time CAIR cried the usual racial-Profiling and Islamophobia when Arar got caught.
When a jihadists fails their mission, CAIR cries racism, when they complete their mass-slaughter for Allah...CAIR denounces all forms or violence and then denies the muslim was a muslim.
It now looks like those FEW misunderstanders are in the millions among the 1.6 billion they claim are on earth,but with 5'500'000'000 non-muslims not once going on rampages and mass-slaughter of muslims for offending their tenets or prophets....the common denominator for the non-infidel murders is the Quran and it's no longer funny to excuse away the global threat because Muslims have neither the brrains no will to weed-out the jihadists or educate them on the true Peaceful islam.
The inquiry might begin with; "Mirror, Mirror on the...."
or, maybe they'll leave it to reading of mint leaves.
The English speaking world should just offer asalym and assistance on leaving the middle east to the remaining Christians there. Not only is it the right thing to do they would be a boon to us. That way the Moslem world can just tear itself apart.
Just a tiny flicker of light in the darkness.
From the land of the Southern Cross.
The lower house of Australia's federal Parliament, the House of Representatives, has unanimously voted on a motion expressing support for the Copts in Egypt.
http://markdurie.blogspot.com/2011/10/australian-parliament-calls-for-end-to.html
"Thursday, October 13, 2011
AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR AN END TO COPTIC PERSECUTION IN EGYPT
"Today, the House of Representatives honoured Australia’s commitment to religious freedom with a clear endorsement of a historic private member’s bill addressing the ongoing persecution of the Coptic Christians of Egypt.
"On 19 September, Mr Craig Kelly MP, Liberal Federal Member for Hughes moved the following:
"That this House:
"(1) recognises that Coptic Christians in Egypt are suffering ongoing and increasing persecution;
"(2) condemns the recent attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt;
"(3) expresses its sympathy for Coptic Christians who have been victims of recent attacks in Egypt; and
"(4) calls on the Government to:
"(a) issue a public statement condemning the ongoing attacks against the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt;
"(b) make immediate representations to the United Nations to end the persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt; and
"(c) strongly urge the Egyptian Government to provide equal rights and protection for all Egyptian citizens regardless of race or religion.
'Speaking to his private member’s bill, Mr Kelly noted that Egypt “is currently experiencing a period of unprecedented transition, the success of which hinges on full respect for the rule of law and compliance with international human rights standards including freedom of religion”.
'**At 10:00am today, Mr Kelly’s motion was passed by all members of the House.** {my emphasis - dda}."...
Has the House of Commons passed a motion of this kind? Has Congress? Has the equivalent body in the Canadian Parliament?
If not, perhaps our UK, Canadian and American brethren at this forum can forward this story from Australia to their elected representatives and tell them that this is the very *least* they should be doing.
There is *lot* more that Australia and many other free non-Muslim western countries could be doing.
But Mr Kelly's parliamentary motion is a tiny, tiny step in the right direction.
It's not even a candle; it's the striking of a spark.
I nearly cried when I opened up Mark Durie's blog and read this story, this morning.
Egypt: Military takes over investigation of its own massacre of Christians
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Fox, hen-house.
Dumbledore's Army wrote:
The lower house of Australia's federal Parliament, the House of Representatives, has unanimously voted on a motion expressing support for the Copts in Egypt.
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I'm glad to hear it, DDA. I just hope it translates into something substantive, such as financial pressure on Egypt to recognize its Coptic population's human rights, or for Australia to fast-track Coptic asylum claims.
Good news, in any case. I wish the US and other Western nations would do the same.