Egypt executes six people in two weeks
CAIRO 15 Feb 2019  - Egyptian authorities today hanged three prisoners convicted of killing a police officer during clashes that erupted in the weeks following the deadly Rabaa massacre. The executions brought the total number of executions in Egypt to six within a span of two weeks.
Responding to the news, Amnesty International’s North Africa Campaigns Director Najia Bounaim said:
“These executions, which come just days after three other people were put to death in separate cases, mark an alarming escalation in executions so far this year.
“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and its use is appalling under any circumstances, but it is even more so given that all six execution victims were sentenced based on confessions they said were extracted under torture. The shocking flaws in Egypt’s justice system have seen hundreds sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials in recent years.
 “The Egyptian authorities should stop all further executions and immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty completely.” (ANA)

FA/ANA/15 February 2019--------