Egypt: Pro-coup parties demand end to violence against protesters

A number of Egyptian political parties issued a joint statement on Tuesday demanding authorities to refrain from using “unjustified violence” against peaceful protesters.

Signatories to the statement included: Dostour Party, Al-Karama, Popular Socialist Alliance, Egypt Freedom, Justice Party, Bread and Freedom, and the Popular Current.

The parties said in the statement: “In the context of successive sentences that range between 2 and 25 years in prison, and that are handed down daily against youth activists and party members, we renew our condemnation of the shameful and unconstitutional protests law.”

The statement added that the protests law is “targeting peaceful protesters who seek to practice their right to freedom of expression, the basis for any nascent democracy.”

The parties, all of which supported the military coup of July 3, demanded authorities to differentiate between “revolutionary youth” and “armed violent groups.”

Rights groups have denounced the sentencing of socialist activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah in absentia to 15 years in prison. In a statement, a number of NGOs and rights groups dismissed the verdict as a reflection of the dilemma of lack of judicial independence in Egypt.