An Alexandria court has further postponed the case of the bombing of Qedeseen Church trial to a 2 June court date. The case of the bombing of the Alexandria church on New Year’s Eve 2010 killed at least 24 and injured more than 116.
In December 2011, the Coptic Orthodox Church filed a lawsuit against head of the ruling military council Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, alleging that the officials were purposely dragging their feet on the Qedeseen church case. Qedeseen means “two saints” in Arabic.
Coptic authorities have repeatedly criticized the slow procedures and delayed justice.
The court said it must delay the trial until complete investigations can be provided. State security prosecutors said that the case has been stalled due to the absence of the defendants and incomplete investigations.
"We demanded in the lawsuit to compel the state, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi head of the ruling SCAF and the interior minister to quickly determine the perpetrators and send the investigations to the prosecution to complete its essential parts," the church's lawyer Joseph Malak said.
Nader Morcos, a member of the Coptic Holy Synod, said "The church will not give up the blood of martyrs, and the one who bets that Copts will forget this crime through deliberate slowdown is deluded. Egyptians have the right to know who committed this crime."
Morcos also criticized the Interior Ministry, saying it has tampered with the case and does not plan on sending investigations. He said no Interior Ministry officials had responded to official warnings sent by the church.
"We have knocked all doors but unfortunately nobody responded," Morcos said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
