In the largest mass execution since the overthrow of King
Farouk, Egypt has hanged 15 men following their conviction in a military court, according to
this article in
The New York Times. Excerpt:
“These death sentences and executions are a flagrant breach of international law,” Maya Foa, director of the international human rights organization Reprieve, said Tuesday. “Trials in Egypt routinely fail to meet basic fair trial standards, and this is especially so in mass trials and military tribunals, as in this case.”
Attorney
Ezzat Ghoniem
said that the lawyers were not given time to present an appeal after the defense minister signed off on their executions a week ago.
“They are meant to give you 15 days after the signing,” Mr. Ghoniem said. “They got six. How is that fair?”
Islamist activists who know the families said that two of the 15 had bruises and cuts on their bodies, suggesting they had been tortured, and that none of the families were given the chance to say goodbye to the condemned before the executions, as required by Egyptian law.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to moderation and must be submitted under your real name. Anonymous comments will not be posted (even though the form seems to permit them).