Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, have refused to leave their protest camps in Cairo as the interim government’s deadline draws to an end.
A large number of demonstrators are protesting the military coup against the country’s first democratically elected president. The protesters insist that they will not leave their camps until Morsi is reinstated.
The Interior Ministry has once again repeated calls for pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo to be halted.
According to Press TV, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday “Continued presence … at the square will expose them to legal action over their involvement in several criminal acts including killing, torture, kidnapping, possessing weapons, blocking roads, and inciting violence.” This comes as interim authorities say they have plans to break up the two camps after setting up a cordon around them. The military-installed government has been struggling to end a political stalemate that has paralyzed the country.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Coup Alliance, a grouping of Morsi supporters led by the Muslim Brotherhood, has vowed that the sit-ins and protest rallies will continue.
The alliance also added that it placed “full responsibility on the coup leaders for any acts of violence or killings”. Human Rights Watch has also warned of cycle of bloodshed if violence is used against pro-Morsi protesters.
