Egypt: At least 50 anti-government protesters killed on 25th January anniversary

At least 50 protesters have been shot dead by riot police during nationwide anti-coup protests on the third anniversary of Egypt’s 25th January Revolution; the ministry of health said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement added that at least 167 protesters were injured, some of them critically.

The ministry of interior (MOI) announced the arrest of hundreds of anti-coup protesters who it described as “rioters” in different places across the country.

In a statement, the MOI said it rounded up “1,079 rioters possessing firearms, molotov cocktails and firebombs.”

Meanwhile, thousands of pro-military citizens gathered in Tahrir Square, the symbol of anti-Mubarak protests in 2011. Many of them urged the Minister of Defense, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, to run for president.

While security and army personnel protected the Tahrir celebrations, they confronted the nationwide anti-coup protests with lethal force; using live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Hundreds of Islamist and secular protesters were detained in Cairo and Alexandria.

The Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy Alliance called on its supporters to stage nationwide protests for 18 days, starting Saturday to simulate the 18-day revolution that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The Muslim Brotherhood, labeled as a terrorist organization by the military-backed government in the aftermath of the coup, has issued a statement vowing to continue protests to restore all rights, reverse the coup and prosecute the killers of peaceful protesters.