Prosecutors are investigating Environment Ministry officials in the southern city of Aswan for reportedly participating in a protest vigil against last month’s climate change conference in Copenhagen.
The Council of Ministers criticized the ministry for the act, describing it as "unprecedented" by a government institution.
Mahmoud Hussein, Environment Ministry representative in Aswan, denied that his staff had staged a protest vigil. "Ministry personnel aren’t allowed to protest–or even comment–on something like this," he said.
Nevertheless, the ministry’s website has posted photos of its Aswan staff protesting while holding candles aloft. According to the website, the protest had been dubbed "Vigil to Survive," during which protesters lit candles as a metaphor for illuminating "the right path" by which world leaders should work to reduce gas emissions.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
