Egypt’s government approved of renaming the Rabaa al-Adaweya square to the hold the name of recently assassinated prosecutor general Hisham Barakat. The Cairo square once hosted an encampment organised in late June 2013 to show solidarity and support for ousted president Mohamed Mursi and his administration. It was maintained for weeks following his ouster in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. A parallel but smaller sit-in was set up for the same reason in Giza’s Nahda square. Both encampments were forcibly dispersed on Augsut 14, 2013, leaving hundreds of protesters dead in what was described by Human Rights Watch as “the most serious incident of mass unlawful killings in modern Egyptian history.” Since the ouster of Brotherhood politician Mursi, group leaders and members have often found themselves behind bars where they either serve time or await trial verdicts. Egypt listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013. The state insists the Brotherhood is behind the stringent wave of militancy which has targeted security personnel since mid-2013. The Brotherhood continuously denies the accusations. Barakat’s assassination on June 29 makes him the most senior state official killed since…
Egypt’s Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square To Be Named After Assassinated Prosecutor General
July 15, 2015
