690 Egyptians arrested in pro-Morsi protests

The Defense Center of Human Rights says there were elders, women and children amongst those detained in connection to incidents which transpired at pro-Morsi demonstrations at the Republican Guard Headquarters in Cairo.



Egypt's Defense Center of Human Rights has stated 690 people were detained after the incident of fire opened on civilians outside the Republican Guard HQ in Cairo last Monday morning. The rights group also claims that there were children, women and elders among the detainees who were holding a pro-Morsi sit-in when military forces shot into the air to disperse protesters.

Secretary-General of the Defense Center of Human Rights and a member of the Salafi front, Khalid Al-Misri, said those who were detained would be accused of 'attempting to storm a military facility, killing a military officer, injuring a military officer and attempting to kill soldiers of the Egyptian armed forces as well as disturbing peace and security'. Al-Misri also added that the prosecution's office has assigned a team to conduct the investigation.

Egyptian official authorities have not released any information about the number of detainees.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate said Tuesday that 84, including two doctors, were killed outside the Republican Guards headquarters, where supporters of ousted president Mohammad Morsi were camping. Syndicate spokesman Ahmed Lotfi told a press conference that more than 1,000 were injured, including 7 doctors. The Egyptian Ambulance Authority had earlier put the death toll at 51 people.

SABAH and Agencies