At least 525 protesters gunned down in Egypt

CAIRO/PARIS. – At least 525 were killed on Wednesday when the police forcibly cleared protest camps set up by supporters of toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a health ministry official said yesterday.Some 3 717 others were wounded in the crackdown and ensuing clashes across Egypt, according to health ministry spokesman Mohamed Fathallah.

Egypt’s interior ministry told reporters on Wednesday night that 43 security personnel had lost their lives in the day’s clashes.
Violent unrest convulsing the country has led the interim government to declare a month-long state of emergency, with a daily curfew between 7pm and 6am in Cairo and 13 other governorates.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s military rulers yesterday faced international condemnation over the bloody crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters, with France warning of the threat of “civil war” and the UN rights chief demanding an investigation. The United States led the global outcry against what it termed the “deplorable” violence.

The US cancelled a biennial military exercise with Egypt. In a statement yesterday, US President Barack Obama said Washington “strongly condemned” the crackdown on supporters of deposed president Morsi.

“We sustain our commitment to Egypt and its people . . . but our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual,” Obama said, announcing the cancellation of the Bright Star exercises, which typically involve several other European and Arab allies.
Obama did not mention any changes to the US$1,3 billion annual US military aid package to Egypt.

“The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by Egypt’s interim government and security forces,” Obama said from his vacation home on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

“We deplore violence against civilians. We support universal rights essential to human dignity, including the right to peaceful protest.”
Other world leaders, including the EU and the UN, have also condemned the violence, and called on security forces to show restraint.

Paris, London, Berlin and Rome summoned Egypt’s ambassadors to voice their strong concern. UN rights chief Navi Pillay said the death toll points “to an excessive, even extreme, use of force against demonstrators”.

“There must be an independent, impartial, effective and credible investigation of the conduct of the security forces,” she said. “Anyone found guilty of wrong-doing should be held to account.” Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Morsi supporter, called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting over Egypt. – Ahramonline-AFP-Al Jazeera.