Rabaa Massacre Photos – Deposed President Morsi Supporters Killed by Egyptian Security Forces

Rabaa Massacre Photos - Deposed President Morsi Supporters Killed by Egyptian Security Forces

Rabaa meaning fourth or four in Arabic has become the symbol, made by raising four fingers with the thumb resting on the palm, of the repression of pro-Mohammed Morsi anti-military coup protestors by the Egyptian military, Police Force and plain clothes security forces. Democratically elected President Morsi was deposed on July 3rd 2013 and the military, under control of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has regained a tenuous control of the country.

The protesters had been camped on Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in the Nasr City District of Cairo for almost two months; the square is named after a religious woman who was the fourth child of a family, and campaigned for freedom throughout her life.

The true number of those killed and injured is unknown; a representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced that only 26 civilians were injured and none killed, but photographs by Agency France Press showed 26 victims, GlobalPost states that there were 149 fatalities and the Muslim Brotherhood has claimed that as many as 2000 people were killed and as many as 20,000 injured

The demonstrators had attempted to block access to the square using sandbags but the government forces used heavily Armoured Army bulldozers, Armoured Personnel Carriers and Humvees with roof mounted remote operated automatic weapon systems to force their way through the barricades and then prevent the tens of thousands of protesters from leaving the area. Despite the claim by the Interior Ministry that live ammunition was not used eyewitnesses report that the government forces initiated the attack, at dawn, using tear gas and fired live rounds from automatic weapons, semi-automatic weapons and shotguns into the crowds; snipers were also firing from positions on nearby rooftops. Tents in which people were sleeping were set ablaze and an eyewitness in the seven stories ‘Field Hospital’ at the square confirmed that many of the victims had been shot in the head or chest, or burned alive.

Following the massacre grieving families were forced to spend hours searching through temporary mortuary facilities where ice was being used to slow decomposition in the stifling Cairo heat, but then came up against officials who insisted that the bodies could not be released without a coroner’s report and a burial permit, which the government and Police refused to issue, unless the families submitted statements that their family members had died from natural caused or committed suicide.

Egyptian State television and the newspapers either failed to report on the fatalities at Rabaa, or blamed the Muslim Brotherhood entirely, applauding General Sisi for his valiant work.

Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim referred to the General as ‘Egypt’s devoted son,’ promising a cheering crowd that he would accept ‘the people’s mandate’ to fight terrorism in a military-led ‘new dawn’

But with such unfaltering support of Sisi and the security forces among much of the Egyptian population, and a deeply rooted hatred for Morsi and his failed policies, sympathy for those killed at Rabaa is scarce, and the Muslim Brotherhood was accused of capitalizing on the bloodshed.

After the military removed Morsi from power, a crackdown on his allies and supporters has ensued, in addition to hard-line security measures enacted by the Interior Ministry that have some activists and international leaders questioning the intentions of the interim government.

The silence from Western democracies in relation to human rights, popular will and democracy is deafening.

Interestingly, Wikipedia states that Egypt has, since 2002, been consistently within the top 4 benefactors of United States military aid with US$ 1,301.9 million contributed in 2010; good to see those tax dollars being used wisely and humanely, in killing peaceful protesters.

In the meantime; take a look at the device on the roof of the Humvee; I think that it’s a pumped diode laser designed to interfere with the vision within 500 metres during daylight (and up to several kilometres at night); it emits an intense green light and can cause severe ocular injury if used within 20 metres of an individual unless the safety detection devices are active.