Amnesty condemns police violence on October 6

London-based Amnesty International found evidence of police use of live ammunition against protesters during the October 6 violence in Egypt, according to a press release published on Monday. 

The day Egypt's military celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel was marked by the outbreak of violence between Muslim Brotherhood protesters on one side, and residents and police on the other. The day witnessed at least 53 deaths.  

In the press release, Amnesty International accuses the security forces of using "excessive and unwarranted lethal force" to disperse Muslim Brotherhood protesters, and added that "in some instances, security forces stood as men in civilian clothing armed with knives, swords or firearms attacked and clashed with demonstrators." The organization called for a fair investigation of the events of the day. 

The organization collected evidence from mortuary records about live ammunition deaths. The organization's representatives also visited the Ibn Sina hospital and saw five dead bodies lying on the floor of the reception. They met with five people struck in their eye with shotgun pellets. One of them happened to be passing by the Dokki neighborhood where most of the violence took place on October 6. Several eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that they were attacked by men in civilian dress, while the police stood next to them and did nothing. Some eyewitnesses even suggested that the police coordinated attacks on protesters with men in civilian clothing. 

The organization also expressed concern over the hundreds who were arrested in the aftermath of the violence, their detention in unofficial places such as riot police camps and the denial of access to their families and lawyers. It said that they should be either charged with recognizable criminal offenses or released. 

"The Egyptian security forces have an abysmal track record of using disproportionate force during protests. The authorities' utter disregard for international standards on the lawful use of force suggests that they are prepared to crackdown on [President Mohamed] Morsi supporters at any cost," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa. 

Amnesty International's report is one of several other reports condemning Egypt's use of excessive violence against protesters since the ouster of Morsi last July and the ensuing protests by Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters.