Nine Egyptian human rights groups on Thursday condemned the violence undertaken by protesters at Cairo’s Tahrir Square toward individuals whom protesters had described as thugs caught trying to infiltrate the demonstrations.
The groups urged protesters to respect dignity and human rights, even for thugs.
Dozens of Egyptians have staged an open-ended sit-in since 8 July, demanding, among other things, the prosecution of officers accused of killing protesters during the 25 January revolution.
The individuals caught by demonstrators were stripped naked and tied to lampposts in the square.
A joint statement by the human rights groups, a copy of which was obtained by DPA, said that they we were terribly shocked by protesters’ treatment of some citizens, no matter thugs or thieves, on Monday and Tuesday.
The statement said that the revolution sought freedom, justice, human dignity and fair trials for all Egyptians, emphasizing people’s right to not to be tortured or violently treated.
“It would be nonsense that we would start a revolution against police torture and then practice torture against our fellow citizens, even if those citizens were enemies to the revolution,” read the statement.
For his part, Gamal Eid, director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), said that human rights are universal. He went on to say that thugs’ intentions to disrupt or infiltrate protests does not imply they should be denied their rights.
He stressed that torture is always a crime, regardless of whether it is committed by a police officer or a revolutionary.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
