Egypt

Martyrs’ lawyers: Interior Ministry officials pressured martyrs’ families

Interior Ministry officials have pressured the families of those killed or injured in the 25 January revolution to change their testimonies so the cabinet alone bears criminal responsibility, said the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.

At a meeting of the Arab Penal Reform Organization (APRO) two days ago, Akmal Allam, one of plaintiffs in Alexandria, said that the prosecution was reluctant to investigate the killing of protesters.

Mohamed Zarra, APRO's head, said the organization welcomes any initiatives for cooperation in defending the martyrs. He added that the purpose of the meeting was to coordinate the efforts of all lawyers defending the martyrs’ families nationwide.

He also said the committee will be present at all trials of suspects accused of killing protesters, particularly that of Hosni Mubarak, the former president, and Habib al-Adly, the former interior minister.

Fatemah al-Zahraa, a member of the families' defense team, complained that its members have not all managed to get permission to attend trial sessions, while some people have obtained permission even though they are not part of the team.

Atef Hafez, one of the plaintiffs in the Mubarak case, said the defense team had to wait for three hours to get permission to attend the trial.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

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