Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood pointed the finger at the interior ministry for the killing of 38 pro-Mohamed Morsi detainees in north Cairo on Saturday.
The ministry said the detainees had been killed by asphyxiation due to teargas and “crowding” after attempting to escape while being transferred to Abu Zaabal prison in a police vehicle.
"The Egyptians have not yet finished burying their martyrs who are the victims of [state] terrorism when they received news that more martyrs were killed by the pro-military coup army and police forces," the Brotherhood said in a statement.
"There is a war against Egyptians. The latest massacre in this war is killing 36 Egyptian citizens in a transportation vehicle while heading to the prison on 18 August, 2013.
"After the contradicting claims of the interior ministry, which once said that those detainees had suffocated and once said they were gunned down, and regardless of how they died, the interior ministry is responsible for those citizens. The ministry of interior betrayed its responsibility and killed them because they are opponents of the military council.”
The brotherhood also said “the leaders of the military coup” bore “full political responsibility” for the death of the Morsi supporters, who were detained in the wake of clashes that pitted them against security forces in downtown Cairo, leaving more than 90 dead on Friday.
The National Coalition to Support Legitimacy has also condemned the death of the 36 detainees. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Islamist coalition demanded an investigation into the case, saying the incident highlighted the authorities’ mistreatment of the Islamist detainees.
Short link: