Introduction:
Peace is fragile. It needs constant nurturing. This peace nurturing had been shattered in Egypt for two weeks in 2013. It was a time when pro-morsi protestors launched a massive protest across the country. It happened due to the ouster of the then-president Morsi by the military a little over a month earlier following mass protests against his rule. Initiatives to end the six-week sit-ins by peaceful means had failed, and the camps were cleared out within hours. In this scenario, international human rights organizations had raised serious voices in their offices to speak up against the oppression of the peaceful protestors. In this regard, the Egyptian police (and, to a lesser extent, the armed forces) under the command of the then-Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, used lethal force to disperse two camps of protestors in Cairo: one at Al-Nahda and a larger one at Rabba Al-Adawiya Square. International human rights were seriously concerned about this indifferent event and called this a ‘’crime against humanity.’’ Human Rights Watch described that event as ‘’one of the world’s largest killing of demonstrators in a single day in recent history” about the numerous deaths that occured. However, Human Rights Watch stated that at least 904 protestors were killed (817 in Rabba Square and 87 in Al-Nahda Square) while strongly suggesting that at least 1000 protestors died during the dispersal. On the contrary, Pakistan’s political dynamics are going towards a disastrous situation across the country. So far, the federal political party, the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek Insaf), headed by the founder and former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, announced a national-level protest at D-Chowk Islamabad. This protest termed as ‘’final call.’’ There were certain demands;
- Judicial independence
- Release of political prisoners,
- Electoral mandate restoration, in which his party won a 2/3rd majority in the National Assembly. On 26th November, several quarters of the country reported that the security personnel had received shoot-to-kill orders from higher levels. Such brute force cannot bring stability to a country like Pakistan and Egypt.
Making sense of tragic event Background:
Following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, which ousted Hosni Mubarak and subsequent instability, mass protests calling for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi culminated in the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état. The deposed president’s supporters were originally celebrating the first anniversary of his presidency, but from 3 July onwards, they protested his ouster, vowing to remain there until Morsi was reinstated. Prior to the anti-Morsi uprising, the supporters of the deposed president occupied two prominent squares of Egypt, Rabaa Al-Adawiya in Nasr City, Cairo, and Al-Nahda in Giza.
So far, Egyptian authorities wanted to diminish the protestors’ demands with peaceful negotiations and it was a quiet attempt to resolve the crises peacefully. The Egyptian military reported two rival camps within the sit-in area: one supporting ousted President Morsi and the other opposing him. These sit-ins became volatile hotspots, with frequent eruptions of violence and bloody clashes between pro-Morsi and anti-Morsi protesters, as well as security forces.
Violent Dispersal issued from the State authorities against demonstrators:
According to the interior ministry, the plan was to quit the protest gradually by cutting supply lines while providing a safe exit for those who elected to leave. By 8:00 the smaller camp, near Cairo University in Giza, was cleared of protestors. Nevertheless, it took 12 hours for police to take control of the main sit-in site near the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque that served as the epicentre of the pro-Morsi campaign. Police geared up for further brutal action against the peaceful protestors by using tear Gas, supported by bulldozers to clear barricades for armoured vehicles.
Thousands of pro-Morsi protestors chanting ‘’Allah hu Akbar’’ tried to join those besieged by the security forces, but they were driven away when police fired tear gas. Meanwhile, Al Rabwaa square was blocked by security forces: police adopted different violent tactics in order to disperse protestors, and they received shoot-to-kill orders from higher authorities by using snipers and live ammunition. In addition, snipers fired at those who wanted to flee the crowd or reach safety.
Additionally, the pro-Morsi group called the National Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy called on demonstrators to continue the protest ‘’to stop the Massacre.” By nightfall, the military-backed interim government had declared a state of emergency and instituted a curfew. However, protesters established new sit-ins outside Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandeseen, Giza and others in cities around the country, defying the new curfew and the interior minister’s vows to break up any such assemblies.
Rationally speaking, the Egyptian Health Ministry told newspapers and media channels that 265 protestors, 3 journalists, and 43 policemen died, with the death toll expected to rise. Egyptian authorities like Pakistan adopted the same manipulated actions, ‘’ security forces were unarmed when confronting protestors’’ In this sense, the Egyptian state television channel showed images of weapons and automatic rifles, including thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Tragic aftermaths after the Rabaa Massacre:
After the violent protests, people came out of their homes and learned what had happened in Cairo, and many demonstrators took to the streets in anger. As per the interior ministry, the angry mob attacked 21 police stations; it happened in Giza Governorate. At that time, sense did not prevail because Coptic churches were burned to the ground, according to the New York Times. At the same time, the interior ministry told media reporters that at least seven Coptic Christian churches had been vandalised or torched by Islamists. On the other hand, Muslim demonstrators also attacked security headquarters in various governorates. Afterwards, pro-Morsi protestors staged a protest against a brutal crackdown ,with clashes reported in several cities of Egypt.
State of Emergency and Curfew
The interim government declared a month-long state of emergency, which commenced at night. The right to a trial due process of law was suspended till further notice. A curfew was declared in 14 out of 47 governorates. In such a scenario, the military had launched a full-fledged curfew with ultimate firmness. The curfew lasted a month long with the state of emergency. On 14th August 2013, the Egyptian Health Ministry said that at least 600 protestors died and more than 2000 were injured. An additional 43 police personnel were killed in the violence. Approximately 2000 death tolls were recorded as per the Muslim Brotherhood. Later on, many of the dead appeared to be young adults.
Attack on Journalists:
During the dispersal, journalists covering the event were trapped. Four of them were killed, while others were injured. Some were detained.[62][63] According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, it was the deadliest day for journalists in Egypt since the organization began keeping records in 1992. Veteran Sky News camera operator Michael “Mick” Deane, 61, was killed. Deane was an experienced journalist who had previously worked for CNN before working for Sky News for 15 years. Photos of Deane’s body showed that he was wearing a helmet that clearly identified him as a journalist.
International Rights Groups Policy Action on Raba Massacre:
The Egyptian National Council for Human Rights investigation blamed both the police and protestors for the incident. The investigation further added against the police for using excessive force and the protestors for being armed.
European Union, United Nations, and other human rights organizations had spoken up against the Raba massacre. Like UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s spokesperson Martin Nesirky said, “In the aftermath of today’s violence, the secretary-general urges all Egyptians to concentrate their efforts on promoting genuinely inclusive reconciliation. [While the United Nations was still gathering information,] it appears that hundreds of people were killed or wounded in clashes between security forces and demonstrators.” He added that “the secretary-general is alarmed by ongoing developments in Egypt and the widespread outbreak of violent protests and excessive use of force in handling them,” and that attacks against churches, hospitals and other public facilities were condemned “which he finds unacceptable.”
Islamabad Massacre: 26th November 2024
The founder of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf, Imran Khan, announced a national-level protest on 8th November 2024. He has been illegally incarcerated in jail under fake and frivolous charges since 5th August 2023. These brutal actions started by the state when the Supreme Court of Pakistan eliminated the electoral symbol “bat” from the PTI. Every day, this party has used this decision politically through different means, including social media and physical campaigns. After all, the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced the General Elections on 8th February 2024. The night when the state has misused the authorities to manipulate the election result in order to prevent the victory of a federal political party.
After every passing day, days were becoming worse not only for them but also for Pakistan. Meanwhile, on 8th November, the founder of PTI announced the protest call on 24th November 2024. According to the 1973 Constitution, Article 16 stated, ‘’Right to the peaceful assembly and Right to protest is the basic fundamental right of citizen. However, the people of KPK marched towards Islamabad from 24th November to 26th November, where security personnel bore indifferent and inhumane use of force against the peaceful protestors. These peaceful protestors reached finally on the 26th of November’s morning.
Moreover, high-security officials have placed snipers on the rooftops of different buildings in the Blue Area, Islamabad. There were clearly seen that security forces recieved shoot-to-kill orders with intense tear gas shelling after Isha prayer on 26th November, when paramilitary and police forces opened straight fire on unarmed civilians. Ground reporters mentioned that this straight firing lasted up to 3-4 hours continuously. Social media activists reported that up to infinite numbers of protestors died in this protest, with several injured. In this case, it becomes a new normal in Pakistan’s political dynamics.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Policlinic Hospital have denied having any deceased protesters’ bodies, contrary to claims made in a BBC documentary, which alleged government pressure to withhold medical information about the incident.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar maintained that no shots were fired, stating, “The protest was dispersed peacefully.” However, the aftermath saw mass arrests, disappearances and unaccounted-for casualties, leaving families searching for loved ones.
This incident has become a grim milestone in Pakistan’s history, marking a disturbing trend of lethal force being used against protesters.
