On their day, police confronts peaceful protests with live bullets and commits a massacre in Suez ECESR calls for the dismissal of the Minister of Interior and bringing police seniors to justice

Fifty six police officers were killed on 25 January 1952 as they were defending the freedom of the Egyptian people. On 25 January 2011, the Egyptian police repressed the freedoms of the Egyptian people and shot live bullets at peaceful protests calling for democracy and social justice. Three citizens in Suez were killed. Ghareeb Al Sayed (44) was shot by bullet in his stomach. Mostafa Ragab Abdel Fattah (22) was shot in his heart. Seleiman Saber (31), unemployed, died as a result of  suffocation from tear gas shot by the police. Hundreds of citizens have suffered different injuries for other reasons. At the same time hundreds of citizens in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Mahalla, Assuit, and Al Mansoura have been arrested. Preliminary estimates point that the number of detainees until now are no less than 1000. Estimates also show that there are more than 150 injuries in Cairo, three of them injuries as a result of rubber bullets.

The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) condemns police acts committing this massacre. The excessive use of force was unnecessary especially that protests were peaceful and no acts of destruction by protesters were documented. Rather security forces started the use of force and live bullets. ECESR calls for the dismissal of the Minister of Interior and security leaders who ordered the shootings and participated in its implementation. They should be brought to a criminal court with charges of killing three citizens and injuring hundreds.

ECESR also confirms that the use of force to the extent of killing will not break the will of protesters but rather will push them to continue demanding justice and freedom and will add to these demands the trial of those responsible for the killings.