Leaders of the Egyptian Canadian Coalition for Democracy organized a demonstration on the Rideau Canal to call into question the legitimacy of the government of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.Shouting “down, down, with the military coup,” members of Ottawa’s Egyptian community rallied to denounce the Egyptian government on Sunday.
Leaders of the Egyptian Canadian Coalition for Democracy organized a demonstration on the Rideau Canal to call into question the legitimacy of the government of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and raise awareness of the situation.
“We’re here to explain to the people that the struggle in Egypt is still going on, the Egyptian people still haven’t reached their goal of liberty, democracy, and a free state,” said Sherif Elkholy, one of the event’s organizers
Jan. 25 marked the fourth anniversary of the 2011 revolution in Egypt. Mass protests in the capital led to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s long-time president. Mohamed Morsi was elected president in 2012, but was removed by the Egyptian military in 2013 El-Sisi won the position in a June 2014 election with more than90 per cent of the vote, multiple media outlets reported.
“They call it democracy, electing El-Sisi, but he won by about 98 per cent of the votes and the Egyptian state is struggling,” Elkholy said.
He accused the regime of human rights abuses, and said any opposition to the regime is punished.
Amnesty International has said the situation in Egypt remains “grim,” and has reported on mass killings, jailing of political prisoners and a tighter control over freedom of speech.
“After three years of chaotic transition, the revolt’s root causes not only remain, but have grown more acute. The old patterns of human rights abuses under Hosni Mubarak remain in place,” said Amnesty International’s report on Egypt. “Stability has yet to be delivered and the motto of the uprising ‘bread, freedom, social justice’ rings hollow.”