FBIS3-42218 "jptot006__l94029"
JPRS-TOT-94-006-L Document Type:JPRS Document Title:Terrorism
FOUO 9 February 1994 NEAR EAST/SOUTH ASIA EGYPT

Human Rights Group Blames Islamists for Rising Violence

NC0202122294 Cairo AL-AHRAM WEEKLY in English 27 Jan-2 Feb 94 p 2 NC0202122294 Cairo AL-AHRAM WEEKLY Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) said, in a report issued last weekend, that Islamist militant groups bear the "major part of the responsibility" for all acts of violence carried out in 1993, while police forces were becoming less and less involved in acts of "physical liquidation" directed against these groups. The report did not absolve the government of responsibility for the spread of religious extremism and fanaticism, however, but noted that the state institutions and state-controlled media were "retreating" in the face of the pressures brought to bear by the "political Islamic tendency." EOHR said it "followed with extreme concern the escalating terrorist activity and the acts of violence carried out by some armed groups of the political Islamic tendency which constituted, in 1993, an unprecedented violation of a fundamental human right, which is the right to live." Statistics compiled by the EOHR indicate that "the harvest of bloody violence" in 1993 included the death of at least 207 people, more than the total for the previous three years during the course of which 139 people were killed in acts of violence. The statistics show that these Islamist groups "bear the major part of responsibility for all acts of violence in the country, although they had shared this responsibility with the police forces in 1992," EOHR said. In 1992, Islamist groups killed 39 people while 38 others were killed by police fire. In 1993, however, Islamist groups were responsible for the death of 137 people including 90 policemen, 39 innocent civilians, 6 Christians and 2 foreign tourists. On the other hand, 59 Islamist militants were killed either in clashes with police or in suicide missions. Moreover, 11 citizens were killed by police fire in the course of clashes between police and members of militant Islamist groups. "EOHR, while noting that 59 police victims were killed deliberately in acts of physical liquidation carried out by these groups, must also note that police have desisted since last March from acts of physical liquidation of members of these groups," the report said. It said that while 118 people were killed by Islamist groups, only eight members of these groups were killed by police forces when they stormed Al-Rahmah (Mercy) mosque in Aswan last March. The report also noted that Islamist groups have upgraded their techniques by using explosive parcels, booby-trapped cars and time-bombs placed in public squares and densely-populated areas "in order to cause the largest possible number of human losses." The year 1993 witnessed 12 major terrorist explosions, including nine explosions which aimed to kill indiscriminately. The year also witnessed a sharp escalation in assassination plots directed at state officials, the report said, citing abortive attempts on the lives of Prime Minister 'Atif Sidqi, Information Minister Safwat al-Sharif, and Interior Minister Hasan al-Alfi, in addition to numerous attacks on police forces. In the southern governorate of Asyut alone, 57 policemen were killed. Christians and tourists also continued to be terrorist targets, the report said. EOHR affirmed its position that the only way to deal with this escalation of violence is "the peaceful and courageous confrontation of all violations of human rights, regardless of their source and the identity of their intended victim." It said a police confrontation is not enough, "particularly in view of the increasing retreat of the state institutions and media before the pressures brought forth by the political Islamic tendency, which is bound to encourage religious fanaticism and sectarian hatred. "In this connection, EOHR notes that the state institutions were giving in to the pressures exercised by Al-Azhar and the political Islamic groups to ban numerous literary, intellectual and enlightened works under the pretext that they are opposed to Islam," the report said. "The organisation also notes that the state is primarily responsible for the social phenomenon of religious extremism and fanaticism. Educational institutes, state-owned media and religious newspapers published by the state or the ruling party are playing a role which is as grave as that of the newspapers of the political Islamic tendency in preparing society to accept and encourage religious fanaticism and sectarian hatred, curtail freedom of expression and literary and artistic creativity," the report said.