An Egyptian journalist with the alternative news network “Rassd” has raised eyebrows on social media by suggesting that those who were involved in Turkey’s failed coup in July deserve to be tortured and killed.
Writing on his verified Facebook page, Amr Farrag argued that: “Of course there are people among those who really caused the coup (attempt) and the killing of people in the street, who deserve to be killed and tortured.”
Some have pointed out that Farrag’s position appears hypocritical, given Rassd News’ highly critical stance towards government abuses of power, including torture, in Egypt.
حمار إخواني (مؤسس شبكة رصد) يؤيد تعذيب معارضي أردوغان في تركيا، زعلانين ليه طيب من اللي بيحصلكم في مصر؟ pic.twitter.com/VmWqc7qI4p
— Omar Elhady(@ElHady) November 29, 2016
You (Muslim) Brotherhood donkey (Rassd News Network). He supports the torture of the opposition to Erdogan in Turkey, but you are sad about what happens to you in Egypt.
Rassd were formed in 2010 as a network of citizen journalists, and played a major role in reporting on, and supporting, the 2011 uprising which ousted President Hosni Mubarak. They are aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.
During July’s attempted coup, Farraj wrote that “I call on the Arab youth generally, and the Egyptian and Syrian youth present in Turkey, to go out into the street and support [Erdogan] in confronting the military coup against him by the Turkish army [as it will] have a major impact on the continued existence of the Brotherhood in Turkey.”
Relations between the Brotherhood and Turkish President Erdogan are strong, and Turkey’s government was highly opposed to the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi in 2013.
Farrag, who has a following of around 115,000 people on his personal account, was responding to a BBC report detailing accusations of torture against Turkish government. The alleged incidents are said to have targeted suspected coup-plotters and others accused of terrorism following the failed takeover earlier this year, which killed 265 people.
The reported torture is said to have resulted in fractured skulls, cuts and burns. These allegations are supported by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reports, as well as testimonies to the BBC.
Farrag was also critical of the BBC in his post, writing that they are “dirty boys and not impartial”. He nonetheless suggested that we should be wary of letting interior ministries act however they want, as this could lead to torture for political reasons.
RA
