Former Interior Minister’s assistant denies receiving orders to kill protesters

In the latest hearing in the case examining the killing of protesters during the 25 January revolution, Adly Mostafa Fayed, assistant to former Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly, testified that Adly didn’t give him orders to open fire on protesters, state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

Fayed is undergoing a retrial along with former President Hosni Mubarak, Adly and five of his other assistants.

According to Al-Ahram newspaper, Fayed insisted that the police force was redundant during the events of 2011, having escaped from protesters in fear of their lives, and that this was not to purposefully create a security vacuum. He alleged that it was the result of systematic attacks on police stations and prisons and the loss of communication among security forces.

According to privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper, Fayed denied accusations that the police killed innocent protesters during the January 25 revolution. “Whoever killed protesters in the incidents of January 25, Mohamed Mahmoud, Maspero and Ettehadiya is the same that is bombing and targeting the camps and carrying out ambushes today,” he said, referring to major outbreaks of deadly violence since the 2011 uprising.

Fayed said that accusations against police for opening prisons in Fayoum and Abu Zaabal to release thugs on protesters are illogical. If this were the case, he said, it would have been better to open the appeals prison, which contains the most dangerous criminals and is only one kilometer away from Tahrir Square, Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

“If it was proven that I gave orders to open the prisons, I would be a crazy man and I would request to be transferred to a mental hospital,” said Fayed.

According to Al-Shorouk newspaper, Fayed attacked the role of Al Jazeera TV channel during the protests. He blamed the station for inciting citizens, claiming the news network also published what it falsely alleged to be a plan by the Ministry of Interior to disperse protesters by killing them. Fayed also criticized the channel for claiming that Mubarak owned 70 billion pounds, saying that if he knew Mubarak had this much, he would have left office and gone to Tahrir.

According to Al-Ahram newspaper, Fayed also objected to allegations that Mohamed al-Batran was killed by the police after refusing to open prison gates, or that he was killed after facilitating the escape of prisoners from Fayoum prison. Fayed said that General Batran was in Al-Qata prison which did not witness any breakouts.

Fayed highlighted his achievements during his time in office. He said that he had managed to eliminate terrorism in North Sinai in late 2007 and early 2008, and succeeded in eliminating drug trafficking in Egypt in 2010, according to Al-Ahram.

Fayed added that he is ready to confront any officer or assistant to the Minister of Interior who accuses him of issuing orders to kill protesters or of using violence against them. He maintained that the evidence proving that police officers did not kill protesters is that the security directors and officers in the various governorates have all been proven innocent.

Former Interior Minister Adly gave his testimony in the same case on Saturday.