Egypt says activists to be questioned over clashes

CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian prosecutors on Monday summoned several opposition politicians and activists for questioning over allegations they incited violence against members of the president's Muslim Brotherhood.

The summons came one day after the Islamist president sternly warned his opponents, saying he may be close to taking unspecified measures to "protect this nation."

Angry, shouting and pounding the table at times, Mohammed Morsi vowed on Sunday to bring to account politicians found to have incited the violence on Friday, when Brotherhood members and protesters clashed outside the group's Cairo headquarters.

Nearly 200 people were injured in the clashes, the worst violence between the Brotherhood and its opponents in more than three months.

Those summoned include former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, former lawmaker Ziad el-Oleimi and several iconic figures from the pro-democracy movement behind the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak. These include Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Hazem Abdel-Azim, Nawara Negm, daughter of Egypt's best known satirical poet, TV presenter Buthaina Kamel and senior opposition politician Mohammed Aboul-Ghar.

Kamel, who works for state TV, told The Associated Press that she has yet to receive the official summons, but that when she does she will consult with lawyers over whether to go. She said she was at the scene of Friday's clashes but did not take part in the violence.

"I did not do as much as throw a rock," she said. "It is my right to participate peacefully in a protest."

The summonses, based on complaints filed by injured Brotherhood members, are likely to stoke tensions and prolong the latest in a series of political crises roiling the nation since Mubarak's ouster two years ago. Coupled with economic woes and tenuous security, the ongoing bout of turmoil is by the far the worst since 2011, with at least 70 people killed and hundreds injured in protests and clashes with police since late January.

Separately, the Brotherhood's legal adviser said he had filed complaints with the attorney general, Egypt's top prosecutor, against a total of 169 individuals, including political party leaders he alleges were involved in Friday's violence. In comments to reporters, Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud called on the attorney general to take statements from 276 people whom he said were victims of the violence. He said his complaints were backed up by video footage and photographs.

Friday's violence was rooted in an incident a week earlier, when Brotherhood members beat up activists who were spray-painting graffiti against the group outside its headquarters in an eastern district of Cairo. In response, anti-Brotherhood activists called for a protest Friday outside the building. Both sides brought out hundreds of supporters, and the scene quickly turned to mayhem, with beatings committed by both sides.

In Sunday's address, Morsi, who took office in June as Egypt's first freely elected president, departed from prepared comments at a women's rights conference to deliver a scathing attack against his opponents. The president suggested that he may have to resort to "emergency" measures to deal with his opponents. He accused his foes of using paid thugs to sow chaos and the media of inciting violence.

He made no mention of any particular opposition group or politician and did not refer directly to Friday's clashes. However, his animated comments left little doubt that they were directed at the National Salvation front, the main opposition coalition, and former members of the Mubarak regime.

Alluding to Mubarak-era figures who have been acquitted in court of a range of charges, Morsi said he respected the law and judicial rulings, but added: "There is a president of the republic and there are emergency measures if any of them makes even the smallest of moves that undermines Egypt or the Egyptians."

"Their lives are worthless when it comes to the interests of Egypt and Egyptians," he said, pounding on the table. "I am a president after a revolution, meaning that we can sacrifice a few so the country can move forward. It is absolutely no problem."

Morsi also criticized the media, arguing that it was being used for political aims. The comments echoed similar accusations made by the Brotherhood regularly in recent weeks. Dozens of Islamists are currently staging a sit-in outside the studios of TV networks critical of the president.

On Sunday, the Islamists pelted police with rocks and sought to prevent talk show hosts and guests from going in or out of the complex, located in a suburb west of the capital. Police responded with tear gas. Protesters also threw stones at cars carrying talk show guests, including veteran rights activist Hafez Abou Saeda. The sit-in continued on Monday.

The Cabinet, led by Morsi ally Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, condemned the sit-in protest and violence against network workers, saying it was not the appropriate method to express opinions.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-says-activists-questioned-over-clashes-152833421.html

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