Security officials ordered the use of live shotgun cartidges against pro-democracy protesters during the January uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, according to documents allegedly seen by Al-Wafd newspaper. The newspaper's website said on Monday that the documents are operation reports produced during the revolution by the main operations room of the Central Security Forces in Cairo. It added that the documents are in the possession of the prosecution for the trial of Hosni Mubarak, who is charged with murdering protesters, along with former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, and six of his aides. The defendants have denied the charges before the Cairo Criminal Court. The newspaper's website displayed photographs of the documents, saying they date the directives given by security officials during the period from 25 January to 2 February. One document shows orders by Colonel Mohamed Galal, from the disbanded State Security Investigations Service, to directly shoot at protesters, as well as orders from an assistant to the interior minister to use shotgun cartridges. According to the newspaper, there were orders to handle the protests on 28 January with tear gas and batons, but also orders that protests should be confronted “directly,” without specifying the weapons to be used. The article in Al-Wafd does not specify whether live ammunition of any type other than shotgun cartidges was authorized in the security reports. Nearly 850 protesters were killed and 6000 wounded during the 18-day uprising in February.
