Thousands of Egyptians protest against military council

[News_Editor]

Thousands of Egyptians protest against military council

2011-10-29 08:13:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Thousands of Egyptians on Friday gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against the country's military rulers, the Al-Ahram state-owned newspaper reported.

Protesters joined the rally dubbed "Friday for Defending the Revolution" following Friday prayers to express their disdain at the military council's handling of Egypt since assuming power from toppled president Hosni Mubarak on February 11. They gave the military council until 6 p.m. local time on Friday to announce a specific timetable for handing over executive power to a civilian government.

Around 2,000 activists and protesters marched towards Cairo's Maspero district to demand justice for Coptic Christian demonstrators killed there during clashes with army personnel on October 9. Egypt's military rulers denied allegations that its soldiers fired on protesters during the clashes which left at least 26 people dead and more than 300 others injured.

The protesters also demanded justice for 24-year-old Essam Atta, the latest victim of police brutality in Egypt who died after being tortured by prison guards on Thursday. They condemned police brutality in Egypt and the use of torture, which was rampant during the Mubarak regime and has continued under the military council's rule.

As protesters returned to Tahrir Square they met with a funeral procession for Atta which was attended by thousands of mourners carrying his coffin. Around 10,000 people held funeral prayers for Atta at the Omar Makram Mosque on Tahrir Square, the newspaper reported.

Atta was serving a two-year prison sentence in Tora Prison where guards tortured him for allegedly smuggling a mobile phone SIM card into his cell. He died after having water forced into his mouth and anus through hoses at high pressure.

On Wednesday, five Egyptian police officers were referred to the criminal court for their alleged part in the torturing and killing of a young Salafist who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the New Year's Eve bomb attack on the Two Saints Church in Alexandria that left 21 people dead and 97 injured. El-Sayed Belal's corpse was found on January 17, apparently having been tortured to death.

Eight days after Belal's corpse was found, the January 25 revolution erupted, leading to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. According to Amnesty International, at least 840 people were killed and over 6,000 people were injured in the violent repression that took place during the uprising.

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