A trial date for 1 February has been set for a case filed against General Abdel Moneim Kato, an adviser to the military's Morale Affairs Department, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said on Tuesday. Kato is facing charges of inciting hatred, in addition to libel and defamation of protesters, as a result of a statement last week where he suggested that cabinet protesters should be burned in "Hitler's ovens.”
The comments came during recent clashes in downtown Cairo between protesters and security forces. According to the ANHRI, the statements “contained accusations of dictatorship, treason and the protection of criminals directed against the media.”
The ANHRI warned that Kato has “Nazi tendencies that he must be punished for, as the fate of any citizen who breaks the law should be a fair trial, not burning in Hitler’s ovens.”
The ANHRI and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression demanded that Kato be tried under Article 171 of the Egyptian Penal Code which states that anyone inciting a felony or misdemeanor should be sentenced, as they are considered a partner in crime even if no crime is committed.
Translated from the Al-Masry Al-Youm
