On 3 July 2013, following vast and mounting protests against President Mohamed Morsi, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Minister of Defence, announced the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) until he took office after
elections a year earlier. Two days later, rival marches and protests in support of and against the deposed President led to widespread violence across Egypt. Eighty-eight people have been killed since Friday 5 July, including some apparently as the result of excessive and
unnecessary force by the security forces. Security forces intervened too late or not at all during clashes between supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi. Amnesty International’s fact-finding team in Cairo wea re able to collect substantial evidence at the
scene of some incidents and at hospitals and morgues as streams of casualties arrived.
Tensions continued to mount and on 8 July a particularly lethal outbreak of violence erupted in Cairo at a protest by supporters of Mohamed Morsi at the Republican Guard Club, a division of the armed forces. At least 54 people were killed, including three members of the
security forces. Evidence gathered by Amnesty International at the scene strongly indicates that the security forces used excessive force against pro-Morsi protesters, including intentional lethal force against people who were posing no risk to the lives of security forces
or others.
