Egyptian human rights groups on Sunday accused authorities of fueling sectarian violence and encouraging unlawful killing. The accusations are a response to violence outside the state TV building in Maspero, Cairo, which left at least 27 protesters and a soldier dead on 9 October. Copts were protesting against recent attacks on churches when the violence started. A statement by 16 groups on Sunday said the transition period is seeing a continuation of former President Hosni Mubarak's policies, and noted that authorities rely on reconciliation sessions to deal with sectarian violence, leaving perpetrators unpunished. The statement said such methods convince extremists that they are not accountable for their actions. It also pointed to video clips and eyewitness testimonies that show the use of armored military vehicles to disperse Coptic protesters. The groups also accused state-run TV of incitement against Coptic demonstrators, citing its reports that protesters were shooting at the armed forces, and its failure to mention casualties among demonstrators. It also slammed a state-TV presenter for urging citizens to take to the streets to defend the armed forces. The statement criticized interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and some members of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for describing the Maspero clashes as encounters between Muslims, Christians and unidentified third parties. It said this ignores eyewitness accounts about army officers being involved in the killings. "The ruling military council praised the impartiality of government media and ignored its call for citizens to defend the army, thus inciting sectarian clashes," the groups said. Signatories to the statement denounced allowing the military prosecution to handle cases related to the violence, saying the judge would not be impartial. They suggested creating an independent panel of judicial and civil society figures with the authority to question members of the military over the killings. The groups added that investigations should include the state media's reports, and that the panel should conclude its works within three weeks maximum, determining the culprits and appropriate legal action. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Hisham Mubarak Law Center and the Arab Network for Human Rights Information were among the groups that issued the statement.
