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Egyptian security forces have been repeatedly accused of extrajudicial executions in northern Sinai
"Do not be afraid, boy ... your father is coming to pick you up," shouts a soldier just before shots are fired at the young man (Twitter)
A video showing the execution of a young man by Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula has been widely shared on social networks, prompting the condemnation of activists who claim that the Egyptian army is fighting in the region "in the the most total secret.
Egyptian security forces have been repeatedly accused of summary executions in northern Sinai, where they are fighting militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group since 2013.
The video that appeared this week seems to show an armed soldier approaching a young man lying on the sand. Someone shouting in the background: "We are not going to kill you ... cover it, cover it up. "
"Do not be afraid, boy ... your father will come and get you," the same person said.
The soldier then covers the young man, who can not be seen distinctly, with a blanket, then shots seem to be fired in his direction.
The opposition TV channel al-Sharq TV was the first to obtain and divulge this video last Monday. The clip sparked outrage on social media, where it was widely shared, as well as screen shots of a soldier's post claiming responsibility for the Facebook blasts. This post was then deleted.
Middle East Ey e does not have the ability to check these images independently. The Egyptian government prohibits Sinai access to journalists and human rights groups.
In late March, a spokesman for the Egyptian military said in a statement that the army had gained ground against "terrorist cells," including executing "militants". One of the images presented seemed to show the same victim as in the video, although it is not known for sure whether the spokesperson was referring to this video, and whether it was taken before or after this video .
Amr Magdi, a Human Rights Watch researcher for the Middle East, said, "We are still investigating this case to authenticate the video. If it turns out to be true, it will not be surprising but will not be less horrifying. "
For lack of journalists and activists in the region, continued Amr Magdi, it is difficult to know what is going on there.
"The Egyptian army is waging a war in Sinai in total secrecy, without allowing independent journalists or human rights activists to self-assess the situation," said Amr Magdi . "The army should immediately open Sinai to independent journalists. "
The Arab Organization for Human Rights has recorded more than 2,934 summary executions in Egypt since Abdel Fattah al-Sissi took control of the country in 2013, following a coup d'etat.
As clashes continue in Sinai between the Egyptian army and armed fighters, 3,446 civilians were killed and 5,766 people detained, while 2,500 homes were demolished to create a buffer zone on the Gaza border, according to reports. this association.
Hundreds of members of the security forces were also killed in the fighting.
Amr Magdi told MEE : "We have already provided evidence of two separate incidents, probably summary executions, involving ten and eight people respectively in Sinai. Far from any judicial supervision, the detention and treatment of prisoners in Sinai are controlled solely by the army officers. "
"We already know that militiamen operate on the orders of the army. They even boast sometimes on social networks of conducting extrajudicial executions. "
Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that Egyptian military forces executed up to eight unarmed detainees in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
According to the NGO, the army allegedly attempted to conceal the murders by posting a video suggesting that the victims had been killed in a raid on armed "terrorists".
The families of two of the victims told Human Rights Watch that their loved ones, whose bodies they saw at the morgue, appeared to have been shot in the head.
The army maintains that the sequence was fabricated from scratch.
The anti-terrorist campaign in northern Sinai has sparked numerous accusations of abuse and human rights violations.
Between July 2013 and August 2015, Egyptian authorities destroyed half of the city of Rafah on the Gaza Strip border, deporting thousands of families and demolishing at least 3,255 buildings, according to Human Rights Watch .
Dozens of families interviewed by the NGO in 2016 and 2017 reported numerous arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and summary executions perpetrated by the Egyptian army and Ministry of the Interior forces.
Since 2013, more than 1,500 armed attacks have killed dozens of civilians and hundreds of security forces in North Sinai, according to the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
MEE contacted the Egyptian Embassy in London to solicit a comment.
"Do not be afraid, boy ... your father is coming to pick you up," shouts a soldier just before shots are fired at the young man (Twitter)
A video showing the execution of a young man by Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula has been widely shared on social networks, prompting the condemnation of activists who claim that the Egyptian army is fighting in the region "in the the most total secret.
Egyptian security forces have been repeatedly accused of summary executions in northern Sinai, where they are fighting militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group since 2013.
The video that appeared this week seems to show an armed soldier approaching a young man lying on the sand. Someone shouting in the background: "We are not going to kill you ... cover it, cover it up. "
"Do not be afraid, boy ... your father will come and get you," the same person said.
The soldier then covers the young man, who can not be seen distinctly, with a blanket, then shots seem to be fired in his direction.
The opposition TV channel al-Sharq TV was the first to obtain and divulge this video last Monday. The clip sparked outrage on social media, where it was widely shared, as well as screen shots of a soldier's post claiming responsibility for the Facebook blasts. This post was then deleted.
Middle East Ey e does not have the ability to check these images independently. The Egyptian government prohibits Sinai access to journalists and human rights groups.
In late March, a spokesman for the Egyptian military said in a statement that the army had gained ground against "terrorist cells," including executing "militants". One of the images presented seemed to show the same victim as in the video, although it is not known for sure whether the spokesperson was referring to this video, and whether it was taken before or after this video .
Amr Magdi, a Human Rights Watch researcher for the Middle East, said, "We are still investigating this case to authenticate the video. If it turns out to be true, it will not be surprising but will not be less horrifying. "
For lack of journalists and activists in the region, continued Amr Magdi, it is difficult to know what is going on there.
"The Egyptian army is waging a war in Sinai in total secrecy, without allowing independent journalists or human rights activists to self-assess the situation," said Amr Magdi . "The army should immediately open Sinai to independent journalists. "
The Arab Organization for Human Rights has recorded more than 2,934 summary executions in Egypt since Abdel Fattah al-Sissi took control of the country in 2013, following a coup d'etat.
As clashes continue in Sinai between the Egyptian army and armed fighters, 3,446 civilians were killed and 5,766 people detained, while 2,500 homes were demolished to create a buffer zone on the Gaza border, according to reports. this association.
Hundreds of members of the security forces were also killed in the fighting.
Amr Magdi told MEE : "We have already provided evidence of two separate incidents, probably summary executions, involving ten and eight people respectively in Sinai. Far from any judicial supervision, the detention and treatment of prisoners in Sinai are controlled solely by the army officers. "
"We already know that militiamen operate on the orders of the army. They even boast sometimes on social networks of conducting extrajudicial executions. "
Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that Egyptian military forces executed up to eight unarmed detainees in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
According to the NGO, the army allegedly attempted to conceal the murders by posting a video suggesting that the victims had been killed in a raid on armed "terrorists".
The families of two of the victims told Human Rights Watch that their loved ones, whose bodies they saw at the morgue, appeared to have been shot in the head.
The army maintains that the sequence was fabricated from scratch.
The anti-terrorist campaign in northern Sinai has sparked numerous accusations of abuse and human rights violations.
Between July 2013 and August 2015, Egyptian authorities destroyed half of the city of Rafah on the Gaza Strip border, deporting thousands of families and demolishing at least 3,255 buildings, according to Human Rights Watch .
Dozens of families interviewed by the NGO in 2016 and 2017 reported numerous arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and summary executions perpetrated by the Egyptian army and Ministry of the Interior forces.
Since 2013, more than 1,500 armed attacks have killed dozens of civilians and hundreds of security forces in North Sinai, according to the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
MEE contacted the Egyptian Embassy in London to solicit a comment.
