Egypt minister ‘recorded discussing protest crackdown’
Leaked audio appears to show interior minister advising in 2014 on how to shoot protesters without creating “martyrs”.
An audio recording obtained by Al Jazeera appears to reveal Egypt’s interior minister discussing how the government can crack down on protesters across the country, using everything from water cannon to live rounds.
Mohamed Ibrahim is heard presiding over a meeting of Egypt’s Central Security Force ahead of a major protest lead by youth groups on November 28, 2014.
Hundreds of youth activists were arrested during the protest.
Ibrahim is heard discussing a strategy for dealing with the demonstrations, including ways to shoot protesters without turning them into “martyrs”.
Ibrahim says if you have a gathering of more than 100 people, even in a mosque, you can arrest them when they attempt to leave.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, said the recording points to the central role of the military in dealing with protests following the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.
“It shows how confident, comfortable and complicit the military is in the sort of chaos going on in the country today,” he said.
Ibrahim goes on to say that there will never be another revolution without the backing of both the police and the military.
Mubarak was ousted by a popular protest in 2011 when the military withdrew its support for the president.
Ibrahim is also heard discussing the suspension of a security official for shooting protesters in the eye with birdshot.
It is revealed that the officer was reinstated in service and that his brother is one of those in attendance at the meeting.