Sunday, Feb 05, 2012
Gulf News
Cairo The Egyptian parliament yesterday lashed out at the country’s military rulers and police for failing to prevent football rioting that left 74 people dead in the coastal city of Port Said.
The parliament’s Defence and National Security Committee demanded a representative from the rulers show up to answer questions on the tragedy, the worst in Egypt’s football history.
Islamist lawmaker Mohammad Al Beltagui also proposed that representatives from the Egyptian intelligence service and the military intelligence department attend the committee’s next meetings.
“They should face their responsibilities on the events that Egypt has witnessed since January 28, 2011 [when the army became in charge of Egypt’s security] until the Port Said incident,” added Al Beltagui, a senior member in the Muslim Brotherhood which holds nearly half of the seats in the newly elected parliament.
Investigation
A parliamentary committee investigating the incident is expected to report its findings later this week.
A series of angry protests have been held across Egypt since Wednesday against alleged involvement by military and security forces in the Port Said tragedy.
Hordes of fans invaded the pitch of the Port Said stadium Wednesday night seconds after the end of a football game between the home side, Al Masri, and Al Ahli, one of Egypt’s top teams.
Thousands of protesters, mainly football fans, yesterday continued to battle security forces near the Interior Ministry in central Cairo for the third day in a row. Seven people, including a soldier, have been killed in the fighting since Thursday, the Health Ministry said yesterday.
More than 2,000 have been injured in the past three days, added the ministry. Five others have been killed in similar clashes in the coastal city of Suez, according to Egyptian television. Several protest groups have called for civil disobedience across Egypt to push for a swift transfer of power to a civilian administration.
The military rulers have been in control of the country since a popular revolt forced long-serving president Hosni Mubarak to step down last February. The rulers has pledged to hand over power by July.
Meanwhile, one inmate was killed and three others injured in a prison clash.
By Ramadan Al Sherbini Correspondent
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
