Message number 82 issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on their Facebook page today, declared that the SCAF has decided to refer the Maspero case to the public prosecutor.
WATANI International
22 November 2011
Message number 82 issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on their Facebook page today, declared that the SCAF has decided to refer the Maspero case to the public prosecutor.
The case involves 28 Coptic detainees who had been caught during the attack by the army and security forces against a peaceful Coptic protest in Maspero, Cairo, on 9 October. The demonstration had been held to protest the burning of a church in Merinab, Aswan, at the hands of hardline Islamists, and had been brutally crushed by the military and security forces, leaving 23 Copts and one Muslim dead, and more than 300 injured.
The 28 detainees were caught from among the Coptic protestors and injured, and were charged with, among other things, damaging military equipment. Since the charge involves acts against the military, the case was investigated by a military commission, and was to be seen before a military court.
Today’s decision brings the case before a civilian court instead. The decision also applies to those who have been caught and detained on 19 and 20 November in Tahrir Square.