CAIRO: The head of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi has denied earlier statements he made that former President Hosni Mubarak ordered the military to fire upon activists during the 18-day revolution that began on January 25. Speaking at a ceremony south of Cairo, the comments come little over a week after he gave testimony at the trial of the ousted leader, who is charged with ordering the shooting of protesters. Police and government forces killed approximately 1,000 people in the 18-day uprising and ousted Mubarak on February 11. Tantawi had told activists following the revolution that the army had disobeyed an order to fire on protesters. “The armed forces fight for Egypt and not for just anyone, whoever it may be,” said Field Marshal Tantawi, who served as defence minister under Mr Mubarak for 20 years. “I testified before God and I told the truth,” he said. The military rulers, headed by Tantawi, have issued a blackout on coverage of the trial, which has led many in the country to cry foul, arguing the SCAF is infringing upon freedom of press and information. “Nobody asked us to open fire and nobody will open fire” on the people, he added. Tantawi was defense minister under Mubarak for 18 years and has become the focal point of near weekly protests in the country, with activists accusing the SCAF leader of returning the country to a similar state of affairs as under Mubarak. Since the former president left office in February, some 12,000 activists, bloggers and civilians have been tried and imprisoned in controversial military trials, and the draconian emergency laws have also been reactivated by the SCAF. BM
