Muslim Brotherhood: Ukraine crisis exposes the West's double standards

Western countries are adopting double standards when dealing with the political crisis that has erupted in the Ukraine and the Egyptian crisis although both situations are similar in many ways, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement said.

According to the movement, the West has quickly intervened to contain the Ukrainian political crisis and threatened the Ukrainian government with sanctions if the crackdown against peaceful protestors did not stop.

The movement said in a statement on Thursday: “We hoped the popular revolution in Ukraine, against the government, would be resolved by peaceful and democratic means which respected the will of the people. However, when both sides were unable to reach a settlement, thousands of people decided to organise sit-ins at Independence Square.

“Unfortunately, violent clashes erupted when the police tried to disperse the sit-in by force resulted in the death of 17 protestors and nine policemen. The movement condemns the use of deadly violence and excessive force which contradicts with the principles of basic human rights.”

The movement’s statement highlighted the West’s quick response to the crisis saying that Western politicians and human rights organisations, even the United Nations condemned the incident.

“The White House warned the army to remain neutral and threatened the Ukrainian government with sanctions if the crackdown did not stop. The European Union also threatened that it would use sanctions against Ukraine while a NATO commander warned against involving the army against the people.

“Meanwhile, the United Nations requested forming a committee to investigate the facts. This reveals the West’s double standards when dealing with the Ukrainian crisis and the Egyptian crisis,” the statement concluded.