By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – Yesterday, residents of Gharbiya captured and lynched two Egyptian men accused of kidnapping and theft.
Enraged villagers chased the men through the town after allegedly catching the men attempt to steal a rickshaw and kidnap a girl inside the vehicle. The citizens stripped and brutally beat the men with sticks and clubs before hanging the men from the rafters in a bus station. Some attempted to help the individuals, but were pushed back by the mob.
Ahram reported that individuals parked their cars on major roads to protest rising gas prices. The roadblocks prevented police from reaching the scene in time to stop the killing.
Approximately 3,000 locals observed the event. A photographer at the scene said many in the crowd chanted “kill them!” during the execution. After, residents dumped the lifeless bodies on the steps of a police station.
Though two years have passed since the revolution that overthrew former President Mubarak, many areas of Egypt have yet to reestablish permanent and effective law enforcement. Frustrated with the lack of police presence, locals are beginning to take the law into their own hands.
The event took place one week after the Attorney General’s Office announced that citizens should arrest criminals and turn them over to the police. Following that advice, citizens in several cities and villages formed independent groups known as “popular committees” dedicated to maintaining public security. Many of the groups carry clubs and knives.
Since the Office’s announcement, incidences of vigilantism have risen dramatically throughout Egypt. However, Gharbiya has seen the most extreme examples. A similar public execution took place in the province on Saturday.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Gharbiya spokesman Mamdouh al-Muneer explained to the Associated Press that the lynching followed a series of kidnappings and rapes in the area. “Unfortunately, the police are completely out of the picture in Gharbiya,” he added.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei condemned the acts and blamed President Morsi’s administration for the violent outbreak. ElBaradei tweeted on Monday, “Public display of vigilante lynching & killing: are we losing our humanity in a lawless society?”
Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki spoke out against the rise in vigilantism as well. In a statement to a Turkish news agency, he indicated that the violence is a signal of the “death of the state.” He explained, a “government that allows this to happen is an unjust government, because it does not afford citizens with adequate protection.”
For further information, please see:
Sky News – Egypt Vigilantes Kill Two Men as Crowd Watches – 19 March 2013
Ahram – Angry mobs attempt 3rd public lynching in Egypt’s Gharbiya – 18 March 2013
Ahram – Public lynchings indicate ‘death of state’: Egypt justice minister – 18 March 2013
BBC News – Egyptian villagers lynch two men – 18 March 2013
