DAVOS-Human Rights Watch fears Egypt army may open fire

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 27 (Reuters)- Human Rights Watch (HRW) fears that Egypt's army may open fire on protesters during demonstrations planned for Friday, the head of the New-York based group said on Thursday.

Police in Cairo have already fought thousands of Egyptians who defied a government ban on Wednesday to protest against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-old rule, firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the crowds and dragging away demonstrators.

"We are enormously fearful that the army would increase violence against protesters in Egypt, because the army there is more ruthless and much larger than the one in Tunisia," HRW chief Kenneth Roth told Reuters at the World Economic Forum in this Swiss ski resort.

"They may decide to open fire during protests," he added.



Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE70Q1HG20110127

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They probably will but that will just make the protests even bigger.

[molly77]

1. And for years I have thought of Egypt as a moderate middle eastern country.

Turns out they have a ruthless dictator puppet propped up by the US.

[potone]

2. I've been expecting Egypt to explode since the 1980's.

I'm only surprised that it has taken this long. The level of poverty there is dire and there is a small corrupt elite of families that rule the country. They need a revolution; I only hope that they can depose their government with a minimal loss of lives.

[florida08]

3. I worry too

Police sometimes forget who they are suppose to defend and protect

[pampango]

4. As with most revolutions, including Tunisia, that will be the critical moment.

Do the soldiers fire on their own citizens or refuse? If the fire, the dictator will probably stay in power for a while longer, but it will only delay the revolution and make it more violent when it finally happens.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.

[dipsydoodle]

6. They might be stupid to do so .

Up until now the Muslim Brotherhood, the only cohesive group equal in number to the army , have stayed out of this.

However - they have today instructed all of the Imans to encourage those who attend morning prayer tomorrow to join the protest at end of prayer. That may well swell the numbers somewhat.

Some details here : http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/brotherhood-pledges-strong-presence-friday-demonstrations