Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb met with a woman on Monday who intruded on a protest a few days ago at the Opera House against the slaughter of a dog.
The woman quarreled with protesters, saying she had been roaming hospitals in search of a cure for her child. She called on protesters to take interest in human rights in Egypt instead of animals rights and demanded they consider her baby a dog who deserved a protest as well. The video of the woman went viral on social networking websites raising criticism against the Cabinet.
The medical center affiliated with the Cabinet checked the medical report of the woman's infant who suffers from heart problems and respiratory distress.
The protest in question concerned a number of animals rights activists who staged a silent demonstration in front of the Opera House on Saturday to denounce the torture and slaughter of a dog on al-Ahram Street in Shobra al-Kheima City, Qalyubiya, several days ago. The protesters demanded animal protection laws be introduced in Egypt, raising photos for the dog killers that read "murderers," "Max killers are the future IS," "We demand a presidential decree over animals rights," and "Mercy is undivided, shedding blood is forbidden."
"We demand legal action against [the killers], and laws protecting animals in Egypt, as in advanced countries," said activist Dina Abdel Salam. The protesters were surprised by a woman holding a baby, screaming that she had been roaming between hospitals to find a cure for her child. She called on protesters to take interest in human rights before animal welfare.
The three defendants accused of slaughtering a dog: Amr Ibrahim, Ahmed Ezzat and Abdel Hamid Abdel Aaty were arrested and referred to prosecution for interrogation, said chairman of the The Egyptian Society of Animal Friends Ahmed al-Sherbiny. They have been accused of possessing and using bladed weapons, as well as of terrorizing citizens by showing off force on the street, Sherbiny added.
The defendants also violated Article 357 of the Penal Code which criminalizes violence against animals, he said.
According to the law, the defendants could be jailed for six months over killing a domesticated animal, and three years for terrorizing citizens and using unlicensed weapons.
According to the state-run MENA agency, the trial of the defendants would start on 4 March.
Three suspects were detained pending investigation on Thursday, but the number rose to four when an additional suspect was arrested, Aswat Masriya reported. Three of the defendants admitted committing the crime.
The defendants accused the dog's owner of attempting to steal a shop belonging to one of them, adding that the dog bit another defendant who attempted to stop the theft, according to Aswat Masriya. According to eyewitness accounts and the dog owner, the dog was killed due to a fight between the dog's owner, Mohamed Sayed, known as Ousha, and other residents of al-Ahram Street, during which Ousha's dog, Max, defended him and bit eight people.
Two of the bitten men filed a claim against Ousha, who was sentenced to one year in prison. They refused to waive the claim unless Ousha handed them over the dog to be publicly tortured and slaughtered.
The brutal incident has triggered the anger of Facebook and Twitter users, who have called for prosecuting the killers, using the "al-Ahram Street dog" hashtag. They have also denounced the dog's owner, describing him as a traitor to his loyal dog.
