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| Egypt Vows to End Sit-Ins by Supporters of Deposed President | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| CAIRO — Egypt’s military-backed government instructed its security forces on Wednesday to end two sit-ins by tens of thousands of supporters of the deposed Islamist president, a decree that many feared could lead to a new round of violent confrontations. | CAIRO — Egypt’s military-backed government instructed its security forces on Wednesday to end two sit-ins by tens of thousands of supporters of the deposed Islamist president, a decree that many feared could lead to a new round of violent confrontations. |
| In a televised statement, the cabinet said the sit-ins were disruptive and represented “a threat to the Egyptian national security and an unacceptable terrorizing of citizens.” | In a televised statement, the cabinet said the sit-ins were disruptive and represented “a threat to the Egyptian national security and an unacceptable terrorizing of citizens.” |
| For weeks, supporters of the former president, Mohamed Morsi, have been occupying two squares in Cairo — Rabaa al-Adaweya in Nasr City and Nahdet Misr in Giza — to protest his ouster on July 3. They have vowed to remain until Mr. Morsi is released from detention and reinstated. | For weeks, supporters of the former president, Mohamed Morsi, have been occupying two squares in Cairo — Rabaa al-Adaweya in Nasr City and Nahdet Misr in Giza — to protest his ouster on July 3. They have vowed to remain until Mr. Morsi is released from detention and reinstated. |
| The sit-ins have become nuisances for the government, and flash points for the bloodiest confrontations since Mr. Morsi’s ouster, including the killings of more than 140 of his Islamist supporters by Egyptian security services. And as they grow more permanent, with stores and barbers and even their own television station, the encampments have become potent symbols of Egypt’s impasse. | |
| A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that brought Mr. Morsi to power, said some in the square hoped the government order was an empty threat, given that clearing the camp would be perilous, violent work. | A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that brought Mr. Morsi to power, said some in the square hoped the government order was an empty threat, given that clearing the camp would be perilous, violent work. |
| There was no sign late on Wednesday of any incursion by the security services, though there were indications that one might not be far off. The Brotherhood spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, said that residents near the Nasr City sit-in had been told to remove their cars, and that police vehicles had started to gather on the outskirts of the sit-in. | There was no sign late on Wednesday of any incursion by the security services, though there were indications that one might not be far off. The Brotherhood spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, said that residents near the Nasr City sit-in had been told to remove their cars, and that police vehicles had started to gather on the outskirts of the sit-in. |
| Rights groups denounced the interim cabinet’s decree as a new provocation to violence. “Given the Egyptian security forces’ record of policing demonstrations with the routine use of excessive and unwarranted lethal force, this latest announcement gives a seal of approval to further abuse,” Amnesty International said in a statement on its Web site, calling the decree a “recipe for further bloodshed.” | Rights groups denounced the interim cabinet’s decree as a new provocation to violence. “Given the Egyptian security forces’ record of policing demonstrations with the routine use of excessive and unwarranted lethal force, this latest announcement gives a seal of approval to further abuse,” Amnesty International said in a statement on its Web site, calling the decree a “recipe for further bloodshed.” |
| The authorities have painted the squares as hotbeds of “terrorism,” a term they use loosely to describe their opponents. Officials have also said that the Islamists are storing weapons, and have accused them of other abuses, including the fatal torture of at least 11 people in the two squares. | The authorities have painted the squares as hotbeds of “terrorism,” a term they use loosely to describe their opponents. Officials have also said that the Islamists are storing weapons, and have accused them of other abuses, including the fatal torture of at least 11 people in the two squares. |
| The cabinet’s decree represented an attempt to bolster the legal case for dispersing the sit-ins by force. It came after the interim prime minister met with Egypt’s military commander, Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, and the interior minister. On television, the minister of media, Dorreya Sharaf el-Din, said the decree was necessary because of “the huge mandate given to the state by the people in dealing with the terrorism and the violence that threaten the dissolution of the state and the collapse of the homeland, and in order to protect the national security and higher interest of the country, and the social peace and the safety of citizens.” | |
| She said the Interior Ministry had been instructed “to take all the necessary measures in that regard within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution and the law.” | She said the Interior Ministry had been instructed “to take all the necessary measures in that regard within the framework of the provisions of the Constitution and the law.” |
| It was unclear from her statement when, or how, the Interior Ministry would carry out the order. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said officials were still consulting over how to proceed. | It was unclear from her statement when, or how, the Interior Ministry would carry out the order. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said officials were still consulting over how to proceed. |
| The Obama administration, which has been engaged in a delicate balancing act over how to deal with the Egypt crisis, expressed concern. Asked about the new decree at a daily State Department briefing in Washington, the deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf, said: “We have continued to urge the interim government officials and security forces to respect the right of peaceful assembly. That obviously includes sit-ins.” | The Obama administration, which has been engaged in a delicate balancing act over how to deal with the Egypt crisis, expressed concern. Asked about the new decree at a daily State Department briefing in Washington, the deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf, said: “We have continued to urge the interim government officials and security forces to respect the right of peaceful assembly. That obviously includes sit-ins.” |
| On Tuesday, two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona, frequent critics of President Obama, said he had asked them to visit Egypt next week to help persuade the interim leaders to move forward with new elections and an inclusive government. The senators said they would convey a bipartisan message from the United States, which has regarded Egypt as a crucial ally in the region for decades and provides $1.5 billion in annual aid. | On Tuesday, two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona, frequent critics of President Obama, said he had asked them to visit Egypt next week to help persuade the interim leaders to move forward with new elections and an inclusive government. The senators said they would convey a bipartisan message from the United States, which has regarded Egypt as a crucial ally in the region for decades and provides $1.5 billion in annual aid. |
| The decree aimed at ending the sit-ins came shortly after the interim authorities announced they had referred Brotherhood leaders to a criminal court on charges of incitement to violence. They included the movement’s spiritual leader, Mohamed Badie, and Khairat el-Shater, its onetime candidate for president. That was seen as a further expansion of the crackdown on the Brotherhood that has included arrests, closing of television stations and an effort to purge state institutions of the movement’s members. | The decree aimed at ending the sit-ins came shortly after the interim authorities announced they had referred Brotherhood leaders to a criminal court on charges of incitement to violence. They included the movement’s spiritual leader, Mohamed Badie, and Khairat el-Shater, its onetime candidate for president. That was seen as a further expansion of the crackdown on the Brotherhood that has included arrests, closing of television stations and an effort to purge state institutions of the movement’s members. |
| The military has detained Mr. Morsi and kept his whereabouts secret. He has not been allowed to communicate with his family or a lawyer. This week the European Union’s top foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, visited him and said he was in good health. On Wednesday, an African Union delegation said it had visited Mr. Morsi, according to Ahram Online, an English-language news site. | |
| During the visit Tuesday night, Mr. Morsi told the delegation that he was powerless to end the crisis, the former president of Botswana, Festus G. Mogae, told the news site. | During the visit Tuesday night, Mr. Morsi told the delegation that he was powerless to end the crisis, the former president of Botswana, Festus G. Mogae, told the news site. |
| “Morsi told us that he cannot do anything in the current situation, as he does not have contact with the media or his followers,” Mr. Mogae said. | “Morsi told us that he cannot do anything in the current situation, as he does not have contact with the media or his followers,” Mr. Mogae said. |
Kareem Fahim reported from Cairo, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting from Cairo. | Kareem Fahim reported from Cairo, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting from Cairo. |