Two girls found hanged in India after suspected gang-rape - فتاتان تنتحران شنقا خوفا من العار

عثر على فتاتين 14، و15 عاما مشنوقتين على شجرة "مانجو" في قرية "كاترا" الفقيرة بالهند.

Two girls found hanged in India after suspected gang-rape had actually committed suicide after one of them was caught having sex in a field and they were terrified of the shame, say police 

• The two teenage cousins were found hanging from a tree in May 
• 
  
• Was suspected that they had been gang-raped and murdered by five men 
• 
  
• But today the police have ruled that the girls' deaths were suicide 
• 
  
• Added one girl had been been in a relationship with one of the suspects 
• 
  
• Then felt ashamed after she was caught going to have sex in a field
• 
  
• The pair had been to a local fair with the boy on the night they died
• 
  
• Committed suicide because they were ashamed of what they had done 
• 
  
• Witnesses who say they saw five attackers have been accused of lying  
• 
  
• Killings sparked national outrage after police initially refused to investigate

وبحسب ما نشر فإن الشرطة رفضت التحقيق في الحادث في بادئ الأمر لفقر الفتاتين وهو ما أثار موجة غضب لدى المواطنين الذين نظموا وقفة احتجاجية في نيودلهى وبعض المدن الهندية الأخرى، وعندما بدأ التحقيق ظنت الشرطة أنها عملية اغتصاب جماعى وتم الاشتباه في 5 من أفراد العصابات.

Two teenagers who were found hanged from a tree in India after a suspected gang-rape had actually committed suicide because one of them was caught having sex in a field and they were terrified of the shame, according to police. 

Young cousins, Murti and Pushpa, aged 14 and 15, were found dead in the village of Katra in northern Uttar Pradesh state in May this year.

Their killings provoked national outrage after it emerged that police in the village initially refused to investigate the deaths due to the girls' low-caste status.

بعد التحقيق في الأمر اكتشفت الشرطة أن إحدى الفتاتين كانت على علاقة بأحد أفراد العصابات وأنها ذهبت هي وابنة عمها إلى أحد الحقول لمقابلته ويبدو أن أحد الأقارب شاهد إحداهما تمارس الجنس معه في الحقل فخافت الفتاتين من العار الذي سيلحق بهما وأقدمتا على الانتحار.

Cousins Murti and Pushpa were found hanging from a mango tree in the village of Katra in northern Uttar Pradesh after going missing in May this year

وقال المتحدث باسم المكتب المركزي للتحقيقات إنه لا توجد آثار عنف أو أي إصابات على جسدي الفتاتين، مما يؤكد أنها لم تكن جريمة اغتصاب أو قتل.

After the bodies were discovered, Indian policeman cordoned off the area surrounding the tree where locals had gathered

Central Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kanchan Prasad, pictured, said they believed the girls committed suicide and were not raped or murdered 

But today police in India said that they believe the older girl had a relationship with one of the suspects which she hid from her family.

They say that on the night they died, the younger girl had called her cousin's boyfriend and suggested they go to a local fair.

Later, the older girl and her boyfriend were caught by one of her relatives as they were about to have sex in a nearby field, a police spokeswoman said.

The girls then apparently committed suicide because they were afraid of the reaction of their families and the stigma attached to what they had done, she added.

Kanchan Prasad, from the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's version of the FBI, said: 'There were no marks of violence or injuries on the bodies of the two girls, except for the ligature marks on their necks.

'Also, nobody heard any cries for help though there were houses around the spot where the bodies were found hanging.' 

Murti's grief-stricken father Sohan vowed to get justice for his daughter after police initially failed to investigate the girls' killings because of their low-caste status

Murti's mother, pictured, said she wanted the killers to be hanged in order to secure justice. But it emerged today that police have ruled their deaths as suicide 

Meanwhile, Ranjut Sinha, the head of the Central Bureau of Invetigation, India's version of the FBI, told the Hindustan Times that the local police's probe into the deaths was conducted 'erroneously',

He told the newspaper: 'Yes, we have cracked the Badaun case. Our probe found that the two girls had committed suicide and weren't murdered.'

A forensic report also concluded that there was no evidence of rape or sexual assault and a lie detector test on the main witness showed he was lying about seeing five suspect dragging the girls.

Pictures showing the girls' bodies hanging from a mango tree in the small village shocked the country and sparked widespread protests.

It came after it was reported they were gang-raped and murdered after going into the fields to relieve themselves.

Their families had said they had gone to the fields because their homes, like most in their village in Baduan district, do not have toilets.

Even before today's reports surfaced, regional police had cast doubt on whether the girls had been sexually assaulted.

Their deaths sparked protests took place in the state as people demanded that the girls' killers be brought to justice

Despite the national outrage, one leading officer said the deaths could have been honour killings by the girls' families

A woman protesting over the killings. India brought in tougher rape laws last year for crimes against women after the fatal gang-rape of a physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012

In August, the head of police in the UP state instead suggested they could have been victims of so-called 'honour' killings.

Anand Lal Bannerjee claimed only one of the cousins had been raped and they had in fact been strangled before their bodies were strung up on the tree.

Speaking at the time, he said: 'According to the postmortem report of the deceased, one of the girls was not raped and it appears to be a case of honour killing. We are probing the matter.

'We will conduct a lie detection test on all the accused who have been arrested. If needed, we will take the accused to Bangalore for the test and get the results.'

Women took part in a protest in New Delhi after the case caused outrage across all of India

Vigil: Several activists lit a candles on the Delhi pavement as part of memorial protests

At the time of the discovery of the girls' bodies, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was 'especially appalled' by their alleged rape and murder. 

Their deaths led to protests in New Delhi and other Indian cities, in an echo of the outpouring of grief which came when a student was raped and killed on a bus in the capital in 2012.

India brought in tougher rape laws last year for crimes against women after the fatal gang-rape of a physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012. 

The CBI will hand over its findings to a court, which will decide whether to prosecute the families of the girls for filing a false police complaint.  

ببورسعيد : القبض على شاب لقيامة بإستغلال صور الفتايات من مواقع التواصل الإجتماعى وتركيبها بأوضاع مخلة و مساومتهن عليها

تعددت البلاغات لمديرية امن بورسعيد من عدد من الفتايات بتضرر كل منهن على حدى من قيام مجهول بالحصول على الصور الخاصة بهن من على مواقع التواصل الإجتماعى (فيس بوك - واتس اب - فايبر) وتركيبها على صور لفتيات اخرى فى اوضاع مخلة وعارية واعادة ارسالها اليهن لمساومتهن عليها مقابل انشاء علاقة معهن .

تم تكثيف التحريات بمعرفة الرائد/ محمد صبح - رئيس مباحث قسم شرطة العرب الى ان وراء تلك الوقائع المدعو/ محمد محمد السيد البغدادي ــ 28 سنه ــ عامل بمحل نظارات ـ مقيم دائرة قسم العرب .

تم عمل خطة محكمة لاستدراج المذكور عن طريق احدى الفتيات بزعم مقابلتها بإحدى الكافتريات بدائرة قسم العرب وتم اعداد كمين له ... حيث تمكن ضباط مباحث قسم شرطة العرب من القبض عليه .

بفحص الهاتف المحمول الخاص بالمذكور ... تبين احتوائة على العديد من صور الفتايات "منها صور للمجنى عليهن" وكذا صور اخرى لفتايات بأوضاع عارية ومخلة بالأداب العامة قام بتركيبها بواسطة برامج قد صنعها لأبتزاز ضحاياه ومساومتهن ... وبمواجهتة اعترف بإرتكابة للوقائع المبلغ بها .

تم اتخاذ الإجراءات القانونية ضده فورا ... والعرض على النيابة العامة لمباشرة التحقيق .

Few Egyptians heed calls for 'Islamic revolution'; minor clashes

Low turnout for Islamic protests on Friday in different parts of the country; two security officers and a civilian killed, more than a dozen injured so far

Police stand guard as an army vehicle approaches as they prepare for more possible protests in the eastern suburb of Mataryia, Cairo, November 28, 2014

Few Egyptians heeded a call to carry out an uprising to impose Islamic law and preserve Egypt's "Muslim identity" in planned Friday protests, while militant attacks and clashes killed three.

A limited number of protests kicked off in several governorates across the country, but not much larger than the normal weekly protests staged by supporters of Islamist ousted Mohamed Morsi, who have seen their street presence dwindle amid a police crackdown that has killed hundreds and landed thousands in jail.

Friday's protests were called for by the Salafist Front, a small ultraconservative Islamist group, and were backed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

"The media blew worries about the protests out of proportion. The Islamists definitely failed today," political analyst Amr Hisham Rabei told .

The relative calm of the day was broken by militant attacks as two army officers were killed in drive-by shootings by unknown assailants in Qalioubiya governorate, north of Cairo and Gesr El-Suez in Cairo.

Improvised explosives were also thrown at security forces in the Nile Delta's Sharqiya governorate, injuring two policemen and eight civilians.

Small protests in Cairo and Alexandria turned violent as protesters clashed with police.

A man, 42, was shot dead amid clashes between police and protesters in Cairo's eastern Matariya district, a health ministry spokesman, Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, told . It is unclear whether the man was taking part in the protests or was passing by, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Matariya has witnessed near-weekly Friday clashes between Brotherhood supporters and police in the months following Morsi's ouster in July 2013. Last month a child was killed in similar clashes in the district.

Two other officers – one from the police, another from the army – were injured during clashes with Islamist supporters in Alexandria.

The clashes in Cairo and Alexandria were the largest reported. So far, 20 people have been injured nationwide, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Friday's limited violence occurred despite heightened security measures taken across Egypt in anticipation of the protests, with security forces deployed in major squares and at key buildings.

Many shops closed their doors across the country on Friday and fewer people than usual roamed the streets in the capital and elsewhere.

There were several small demonstrations in the late afternoon to express support to the government in Mansoura and Mahalla in the Nile Delta, as well as Alexandria and Cairo. 

Earlier on Friday, police said they arrested 107 alleged Brotherhood members for intending to carry out acts of violence, As reported.

The figure increased as dozens were rounded up by police during the day.

A police spokesperson said 224 protesters were arrested nationwide.

At least 10 small improvised bombs were defused in four governorates, including Cairo, the police said.

Two sound bombs detonated in highly secured areas of Cairo – in Abdel-Moneim Riad Square, walking distance from Tahrir Square, and near the presidential palace east of Cairo.

Unlike the Brotherhood, several other Islamist groups including the Salafist Nour Party – an ally of the government – and former Brotherhood allies the Wasat Party and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya movement rejected the demonstrations.

Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab on Thursday had declared that Friday would be a "normal day."

Foreign minister : #Qatar should support #Egypt's national security

Foreign minister calls on Qatar to respect agreements from November summit in Riyadh

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry

Cairo's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on Qatar to adopt "supportive policies" for Egypt's national security, urging Doha to stay away from any acts that harm the country's stability.

Relations between the two countries have soured since the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, as Egypt has accused the Gulf state of interfering in its affairs.

In an interview , Shoukry didn't directly blame Qatar's backing of the Brotherhood and its Islamist-oriented Al Jazeera satellite channel for the strained ties, instead saying that he will "leave the judgment to observers."

Shoukry pointed out that Egypt quickly reacted to Saudi Arabia's call for Egypt to back a recent agreement between leaders of three Gulf countries to end a months-long rift with Qatar in "appreciation to King Abdullah."

In March, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their envoys from Doha, accusing it of supporting organisations that undermine the Gulf's stability and interfering in other states' affairs.

But in a summit held in the Saudi capital Riyadh earlier this month to discuss the fall out, the three Gulf states – all members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – agreed to send back their ambassadors, ending a dispute between the Arab Gulf allies.

Shoukry said that Egypt seeks to have "strong and friendly relations with its Arab brothers," calling on Qatar to abide by the arrangements reached in the Riyadh summit.

"As Egypt is eager to be an active player in protecting Arab national security, we wish and believe that all Arab countries care about Egypt's interests and security," the foreign minister said.

Egypt's top diplomat also spoke about the situation in Libya, describing the situation in the war-torn North African country as "dangerous." He referenced the initiative issued during a ministerial meeting with Libya's neighbours held in Cairo in August.

"The initiative encourages national dialogue between all parties that renounces violence and seeks the unity of Libya's territory," said Shoukry.

He argued that Libya's parliament – and the government formed of it – enjoys legitimacy, which represents the "willingness of the people based on free and democratic elections."

He said that all "international actors recognise the legitimacy" of Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni's government and called for respect for the results of Libyan ballot boxes.

Shoukry asserted that violence is still adopted by some groups that seek to "impose their will over Libyans" by using their "military achievements" as grounds to enter dialogue.

The minister said that Egypt backs the endeavours of the United Nations special envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, to reach a political solution and open room for national dialogue.

Since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in the 2011 uprising, Libya has failed to maintain control over armed militias that managed to remove the long-time dictator from power.

Two officers killed, man dies as Friday protests underway

Two army officers shot dead in drive-by shootings, while man dies in east Cairo amid clashes

6 Army officers were injured by bomb throwing on their armor vehicles in sharkia

Two army officers were killed in drive-by shootings while a man was shot dead amid clashes in Cairo between police and protesters, as planned Islamist demonstrations kicked off in the capital and other governorates on Friday.

The ultraconservative Salafist Front had called for nationwide protests on Friday against the government and in favor of the preservation of Egypt's "Islamic identity". 

The two officers were shot early in the morning, with the first killed on Gesr Al-Suez Street in eastern Cairo, and the second in the Abu-Zaabal area of Qalioubiya governorate, north of Cairo.



Lut. salah hosieny 28 years old one of the injured i the incedent in Abu Kebir Sharkya

Two others – an officer and a conscript - were injured in the Qalioubiya incident and have been transferred to hospital, the army said in a statement, as reported.

Meanwhile, a man died from gunshot wounds sustained near clashes in the east Cairo district of Matariya, a spokesman for the health ministry told .

the ministry of health has announced the injury of 6 army officers and soldiers by bomb throwing on their armor by unknown and they were transferred to the hospital and the security authorities checking all the area now and making a wide spread for further investigations

It is unclear whether he was taking part in the protests or was passing by.

The violence occurred despite heightened security across Egypt in anticipation of a call for mass Islamist protests on Friday. Cairo was largely calm after Friday midday prayers, with security forces deployed in major squares and at key buildings.

Police said earlier in the day that 107 alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood had been arrested for intending to carry out acts of violence,

Also, police said that seven bombs were defused in four governorates, including Cairo - a near-daily occurrence since the ouster of Islamist ousted Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, has endorsed the Salafist Front's call for protests.

Several other Islamist groups, however, including the Salafist Nour Party and former Brotherhood allies the Wasat Party and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya movement have rejected the demonstrations.

أمسية شعرية ببورسعيد فى حب مصر بعنوان : امسح دموعك يا وطن

أقيمت مساء الليلة بمسرح مكتبة الطفل بحى العرب ببورسعيد أمسية شعرية فى حب مصر بعنوان : امسح دموعك يا وطن برعاية مركز الصحفى للدراسات والتنمية البشرية وبالتعاون مع رابطة مواهب الأدبية و صالون ابداع الثقافى وبمشاركة شعراء وأدباء بورسعيد 

ابتدأت الأحتفالية بحضور السيد المهندس/ رافت رضوان رئيس حى العرب ووقف الحضور لتحية السلام الجمهورى وبدأت الأمسية بتقديم الأستاذة سهام الوهيبى وعزف المقطوعات الوطنية من الفرقة الموسيقية ثم بألقاء الشعراء الأبيات الشعرية والوطنية .فى حب مصر

وقد حضر الأمسية الشعرية وشارك بها نخبة من شعراء بورسعيد كلا من الأستاذة.عزة ابراهيم والأستاذ.حسام الدين عفيفى والأستاذ.أحمد صقر والأستاذ.جمال المناخلى والأستاذة سيدة الشولى والدكتورة.شيماء البنا والأستاذة.مريم خليفة والدكتورة.نجلاء محمد والأستاذ.السيد سجاع.

وأختتمت الأمسية بعد القاء الشعراء الأبيات والمقطوعات الشعرية التى كانت محل اعجاب وثناء وتقدير الحضور رافعين راية أسم مصر وحبا فى الوطن بالكلمة الصادقة من القلوب التى كانت تهديها بعنوان الأمسية ....ليمسحوا بها ... دمعة وطن.

El #Sisi , #Hollande discuss combating #terrorism

Terrorism focus of talks with Egyptian and French presidents

French President Francois Hollande, right, poses with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. Sissi is in France for a two-day official visit

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and French President Francois Hollande met on Wednesday to discuss challenges facing the Arab region and the threat of international terrorism.

On his first visit to Europe since he was elected president, El-Sisi discussed with his French counterpart the threat of terrorism both inside Egypt and from neighbouring countries.

The two presidents stressed at a press conference their concern over the growing threat of terrorism in Libya, with El-Sisi highlighting the need to support the Libyan government and army.

They also highlighted the importance of reaching a two state solution for Palestinians and Israelis through negotiations.

Hollande hailed El-Sisi's efforts in negotiations concerning the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Cairo hosted an international conference to rebuild Gaza in October during which $3 billion in aid was raised.

El-Sisi also added that the two politicians agreed that a political solution is needed to end the Syrian crisis.

Both France and Egypt are part of a US-led coalition which is launching airstrikes against Islamic State fighters. France took part in the strikes, while Egypt has not officially announced any participation but said it was committed to giving support to the alliance.

Speaking of bilateral relations, Hollande encouraged furthering cultural cooperation between the two countries. He said that France will be receiving more Egyptian students and academics.

Meanwhile, in terms of tourism, El-Sisi assured in a message to France and other European countries that Egypt is safe to visit.

El-Sisi started a European tour on Monday, first visiting Italy and the Vatican before he headed to France.

El-Sisi was elected president in June, almost a year after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Fact-finding committee on post-Morsi violence recommends a ban on Islamist parties

In a press conference to announce the final findings of a mandated committee looking into violence in Egypt post-July 2013, the head of the committee says its report should be the last mention of post-Morsi events

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of deposed ousted Mohamed Morsi shout slogans outside the at the Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo July 8, 2013

A ‎fact-finding committee mandated to investigate violent ‎events in Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president ‎Mohamed Morsi has sharply attacked Islamist parties, ‎labelling them as reactionary, undemocratic and advocating they ‎be dissolved as a condition for healthy political life in ‎the country.‎

The committee's chairman, Fouad Abdel-Moneim Riad, ‎while reviewing a 47-page report issued by the ‎committee on post-Morsi violence, said: "We highly ‎recommend that political Islam parties be dissolved in ‎accordance with Article 74 of Egypt's 2014 Constitution ‎and also in order to safeguard society against the ‎reactionary ideology of these factions which like to mix ‎religion with politics."‎

The report, according to the committee's secretary-‎general and spokesperson, Omar Marawan, included as ‎many as 60 recommendations for the government and ‎other state authorities to adopt in a bid to stem the ‎tide of violence and extremism in Egypt.‎

Riad, in a press conference held in the main chamber of ‎Shura Council, said in collecting data and information ‎about post-Morsi violence in Egypt, the committee ‎exercised extreme neutrality, impartiality and ‎independence. "We are independent of the government ‎and our role was just to collect information and data, ‎document them, and not to direct a list of charges ‎against any party," said Riad.‎

Riad said the committee's report on post-Morsi violence ‎includes 767 pages, in addition to 11,000 pages of ‎corroborating documents and CDs featuring field ‎footage of the violent events.‎

Riad said the six-member committee also sought the help ‎of experts on international law for reasons of accuracy ‎and professionalism.‎

According to Riad, "The report issued by the committee ‎should be the last about post-Morsi events." "We ‎should not speak about the past anymore," said Riad, ‎adding that "as many as 60 recommendations listed at ‎the end of the report should be used by decision-makers ‎and civil society activists to draw up a better future for ‎Egypt."‎

The three-hour conference was attended by Boutros Boutros ‎Ghali, the former UN secretary-general, Amr Moussa, ‎former secretary-general of the Arab League and ‎chairman of the 50-Member Committee that drafted the ‎country's new constitution, and a number of foreign ‎ambassadors in Cairo.‎

The conference included a video film, beginning with a ‎speech in which former president Mohamed Morsi ‎vowed that he would respect the constitution. The film, ‎accompanied by comments from Marawan, reviewed ‎stormy events that hit Egypt during and after the rule ‎of Morsi. On top of these events included attacks ‎levelled by the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which ‎Morsi hails, against the headquarters of the Supreme ‎Constitutional Court, Media City, the Sunni Islam ‎institution of Al-Azhar, and the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo.‎

Recommendations listed in the report assert there is a ‎pressing need to impose political disenfranchisement ‎on Islamist parties, and political Islam factions. Riad said: ‎"The committee urges all learn lessons from post-Morsi ‎violence in Egypt and draw up an agenda for a better ‎future for the country."‎

Topping the list of recommendations is the necessity of ‎dissolving political Islam parties. Under the title ‎‎"Conclusion," the report accuses the Muslim Brotherhood ‎of hijacking democracy and rejecting any kind of ‎national consensus during the period that followed the ‎ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in February ‎‎2011 and until Morsi was ousted 3 July 2013. "In ‎accordance with this distorted conception of ‎democracy, the Brotherhood moved against the rule of ‎law in terms of attacking judges, security forces, the ‎army, the media, Al-Azhar, secular opposition and ‎cultural institutions," said the report, adding that, "The ‎lesson we must learn from this experience is that ‎political Islam forces must not be allowed to exercise ‎politics in this country." ‎

According to the report (page 43), "The Muslim Brotherhood ‎and other political Islam factions usually favours armed ‎confrontation at the expense of peaceful dialogue." ‎‎"They adopted the strategy of scorched earth and were ‎about to plunge Egypt into a civil war."‎

The report blamed former Minister of Defence ‎Mohamed Hussein Tantawi for helping the Muslim ‎Brotherhood — which emerged as the most organised force ‎after Mubarak's ouster and under the one-year rule of ‎the military — to reach power. "Tantawi, in doing his best ‎to save Egypt from civil war, automatically led the Muslim ‎Brotherhood to ride the wave and reach power."‎

Riad said the Muslim Brotherhood turned its post-Morsi sit-‎ins in Cairo and Giza into armed gatherings. "The ‎evidence detailed by the report show that the group's ‎leaders, espousing the extremist ideology of Islamist ‎ideologue Sayed Qotb, turned the sit-in into armed ‎confrontation against state authorities." "We ‎documented that the first shot was directed by an ‎armed Brotherhood activist, leading to the death of a ‎police officer," said Riad.‎

Riad said that while Brotherhood protesters in Giza's Al-Nahda ‎Square opted for a peaceful exit, those at Cairo's Rabaa ‎Al-Adawiyya Square "insisted on fighting police forces."‎

This led to the death of 607 citizens in Rabaa, while 86 died in and around Giza's Al-Nahda ‎Square.‎

Riad blamed the government for taking too much time ‎to disrupt the Brotherhood sit-ins. "If the government ‎moved early to disrupt them, the number of victims ‎would not have risen to such a big number," said Riad.‎

Riad cited former Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi as ‎saying that "the government could not disrupt the sit-‎ins during the holy month of Ramdan or the post-‎Ramadan feast." 

He said the committee had a lot of video films, taken ‎by citizens living around Rabaa Square, that clearly ‎show that the Brotherhood sit-ins included groups of ‎armed militias. "This led security forces to resort to force ‎after their appeals for protesters to leave peacefully went ‎to no avail," Riad said, explaining that "At around 6pm (14 August 2013) ‎security forces opted to storm Rabaa Square, impose ‎its control on the main mosque there and allow the ‎remaining protesters to leave peacefully at 8pm."‎

Riad said in addition to the necessity of stripping ‎political Islam parties of any right to exercise political activities, ‎there is a pressing need for a number of legislative ‎reforms and a cultural revolution. "Egypt still has a lot ‎of 'bombs' and these are about to explode if we do ‎not move fast enough to detonate them," said Riad. "On ‎top of these ... the necessity of reforming religious ‎discourse, promoting tolerance, and helping Coptic ‎Christians restore their churches, which were completely ‎or partially demolished by Islamist elements, not to ‎mention to get rid of [Islamists'] reactionary culture."‎

According to Riad, runaway growth of population in ‎Egypt is the biggest "bomb" facing the country. "It is ‎high time to face this bomb, because it stands behind ‎poor education, intolerant culture and poor ‎development," said Riad.‎

Responding to a question on why the Muslim Brotherhood ‎refused to testify before the committee, Riad said: "In ‎spite of their rejection, we were able to listen to the ‎testimony of one leading Brotherhood official, his wife ‎and son, not to mention that several female leaders of ‎the group also came to give their testimony."‎

Riad said Brotherhood leaders alleged that the army ‎used airstrikes to kill protesters in Rabaa, but they were ‎not able to give any proof of this. "Citizens living in the ‎area completely denied that any airstrikes were ‎mounted against the protesters."‎

Answering another question by Safwat Al-Biadi, an ‎Anglican bishop, on the report's recommendation that ‎families of Christians who were killed by Islamist ‎terrorists during the post-dispersal period receive ‎compensation, Riad said: "This is the responsibility of all ‎Egyptians rather than the government alone." "I urge ‎that a national fund be established to compensate all ‎peaceful protesters who lost their lives during the ‎bloody clashes," said Riad.‎

The report said as many as 52 churches in 23 ‎governorates were completely or partially destroyed ‎after the dispersals. "These acts of sabotage were ‎mounted after fiery speeches by Muslim Brotherhood ‎leaders incited violence against Christians, their churches and ‎property," the report said.‎

78 pro-Morsi youths jailed in Egypt's Alexandria

Minors aged 15-17 sentenced for rioting and joining terrorist group

Supporters and opponents of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi clash in Alexandria, Egypt

Egypt's juvenile misdemeanor court on Wednesday sentenced 78 youth, allegedly supporters of ousted  Mohamed Morsi, to jail terms of three to five years.

The minors – aged between 15 to 17 years old – were accused of rioting and belonging to a terrorist group.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, was labelled a terrorist organisation by Egypt's authorities last year.

The minors were arrested in demonstrations in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria soon after the 14 August 2013 dispersal of the two biggest pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, in Rabaa and Nahda squares, which left hundreds dead and sparked nationwide unrest.

Egypt passed a controversial protest law in November 2013 that activists have deemed restrictive as it bans unauthorised demonstrations.

Thousands have been arrested under its provisions, from Brotherhood members to secular activists.