Three families of those killed during the Egyptian revolution have accused some Salafi leaders of urging them not to sue policemen who killed their loved ones.
On a talk show on the privately-owned channel ONTV late Wednesday, members of the victims’ families demanded speedy trials and retaliation for the policemen who killed their relatives during the revolution.
Mohamed Abdo, the father of one of the victims, said that the imam of the Sahaba mosque, which is in Alexandria, urged him to accept blood money – a fine paid to the next of kin of a murder victim – as retribution, claiming that the imam was told to do so by the military.
However, the imam, Atteyah Abdel Salam, called into the talk show to defend his actions. He said that his mediation, like that of other Salafi leaders in Alexandria, aims at helping martyrs’ families obtain justice.
A military official denied assigning any religious leaders to strike deals with the families to change their statements after they have received the blood money.
The talk show also hosted the fathers of another two victims from Alexandria and Suez, who also said that officials at the Interior Ministry had commissioned Salafi leaders to convince them to accept blood money and change their statements.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
