It’s been almost a month since Egypt’s massive June 30 protests that led to the military taking control from Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Yet the unrest hasn’t settled and there is no sign that it will quiet down soon.
After being held in an undisclosed location since his removal on July 3, the military has finally charged Morsi with something: collaborating with Palestinian terror group Hamas.
The overthrown Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, is under investigation for conspiring with Hamas during Egypt‘s 2011 revolution, state media reported on Friday, in the first official update on his status since he was forced from office and detained by the Egyptian army on 3 July.
After the announcement, Morsi was moved from a secret military facility to Cairo’s Tora prison, where his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, is also being held.
Demonstrations yesterday by Egyptians on both sides led to clashes. In Alexandria, at least five are dead and 50 wounded after protests turned violent. Little official information exists, though many estimate that the protests were larger than June 30’s massive crowds. Then earlier today, at least 65 were killed in Cairo after fighting broke out and the military fired on Morsi supporters.
According to sources on Twitter, a bomb was diffused in a residential building near the U.S. embassy in Cairo, though this has not been confirmed by officials yet.
Three weeks after Morsi was removed from power, it’s concerning that the military has yet to enforce rule of law. Speeches from interim president Adly Mansour have promised renewed stability, but that has yet to be seen.
If Egypt wants to step forward and become a true democracy, it needs to move its political process from the streets to the ballot box.
