The Nobel Women’s Initiative has released a statement calling for an immediate end to violence in Egypt that has disproportionately affected unarmed civilians including women.
Violence has spiked in the country since President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown in a military coup in July. Egypt has been under a state of emergency since mid-August when security forces began clearing protest camps that had emerged in solidarity with the deposed President.
Read the full statement below or download it here.
For the Arabic version, please download here.
Nobel Women’s Initiative Calls for Immediate End to Violence Against Unarmed Civilians in Egypt
Ottawa—23 August 2013
The Nobel Women’s Initiative calls for the immediate end to the violence in Egypt, which continues to disproportionally affect unarmed civilians, since the military coup that removed President Morsi from power at the beginning of July.
The country remains under a state of emergency, since mid-August when security forces began to close protest camps that had emerged in solidarity with the deposed president. The actions by military and police forces are increasingly being met with violence. reports indicate that the dead and injured since August 14 – protesters and security forces – number thousands.. Muslim Brotherhood members—former President Morsi’s party—have been detained, including through a raid on a Cairo mosque, and the current government has taken steps to ban the group entirely.
We are also extremely concerned that women and girls, whether taking part in protests, in solidarity with a political party, or reporting on current politics, are significantly affected, with a serious rise in sexual assault and rape in recent months.
The escalation of hostilities since President Morsi’s ousting in July significantly threatens chances for democracy in the country and many fear that Egypt is moving toward the brink of full-scale war. We urge all parties involved to respect the rights of the people of Egypt, including freedom of expression and assembly, and the right to choose their own leaders and determine their own destiny peacefully. We call upon the military and police forces to release protesters and members of the political opposition. Finally, we call for the negotiation of a peaceful solution to the current political crisis.