Egypt’s Minister of Interior summoned over Port Said deaths

Port Said protests

Egypt’s investigating Judge Abdel Aziz Shaheen decided on Sunday, 10 March, to summon Egypt’s Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim over the Port Said deaths caused by the recent clashes in the Canal city.

Mohamed Ibrahim will be summoned on 17 March. Investigating judge also announce that several other high officials will be summoned over the deaths and numerous injures of the protesters in Port Said after the clashes that erupted in the city on 26 January, after the Court announced the death sentences for 21 out of 72 defendants in the Port Said stadium disaster case. Among those officials to be also summoned are Deputy Security chief for service affairs, who is expected to be questioned on 18 March, and also Port Said east and west prison chiefs, who’s questioning is scheduled for 19 March.

The special investigation’s team of prosecution leaders has been formed previously in order to investigate the cases of violence and use of excessive force by CSF personnel during the clashes in the Canal city. They will question and hear the testimonies of those injured in the violence and the eye witnesses of the clashes and also study the medical reports and also the police reports and records as well.

Clashes in Port Said

In addition to that the Judge ordered to study and to check the records of the arming of the CSF personnel and also the numbers of the police troops deployed in the area during the clashes. The places of the deployment of each troop and their commanders’ names will be checked as well, according to the Judge Shaheen.

It’s worth mentioning also that the special delegation of Egypt’s Radio and Television Unions has formed the committee which will investigate the numerous video materials, images and footage of the events made by the Port Said residents documenting the cases of violence and using of excessive force against the protesters.

The criminal laboratory in its turn received the task to check the types of ammunition and weapons used during the clashes.

This is the second time in Egypt’s recent history when Minister of Interior has been summoned for a legal investigation. The first case was the trial of Habib El-Adly, Hosni Mubarak’s Minsiter of Interior.