Egypt coup anniversary: Progress or protest?
Morsi supporters remain defiant in the face of mass trials, imprisonment and death sentences.
The first anniversary of the military overthrow of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has been marked with a ‘Day of Anger’ by his supporters.
It is also serving as a test of strength for the Anti-Coup Alliance, and Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organisation by the new government in December.
The man who now holds the position of president, former General Abdel Fattah el Sisi, was hailed as a saviour by many Egyptians for deposing Morsi.
But it has been a turbulent twelve months since then. More than 1,400 people have been killed, thousands jailed and hundreds sentenced to death, challenging Sisi’s vision of a transition to democracy.
Amnesty International condemned Egypt’s human rights record in a statement on Thursday, saying torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions had increased since Morsi’s political demise.
So can Egypt’s army chief turned president realise his roadmap for reform? Or will the divisive removal of Morsi forever overshadow his ambitions?
Presenter: Mike Hanna
Guests:
Zakaryya Abdel-Hady – Assistant Professor of Islamic Thought and Culture at Qatar University.
Sharif Abdel Kouddous – Independent Journalist and Correspondent for Democracy Now!
Angus Blair – President of the Signet Institute Think Tank.