Post by History Defender on Jun 23, 2015 22:21:17 GMT
On 3 July 2013, Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a coalition to remove the President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, from power and suspended the Egyptian constitution. The move came after the military's ultimatum for the government to "resolve its differences" with opponents during widespread national protests. The military arrested Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders,[2] and declared Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt Adly Mansour as the interim president of Egypt. The announcement was followed by demonstrations and clashes between supporters and opponents of the move throughout Egypt.[3] The military's action was supported by the Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei.[4]
There were mixed international reactions to the events.[5] Most Arab leaders were generally supportive or neutral, with the exception of Qatar and Tunisia who strongly condemned the military's actions. Other states either condemned or expressed concern over the removal of Morsi; there was also a perceived measured response from the United States. Due to the regulations of the African Union regarding the interruption of constitutional rule by a member state, Egypt was suspended from that union. There has also been debate in the media regarding the labeling of these events. It has been variously described by most Western nations as a coup[6][7][8][9][10] or as a revolution[15] by proponents.
Ensuing protests in favour of Morsi were violently suppressed with the dispersal and massacre of pro-Morsi sit-ins on 14 August 2013, amid ongoing unrest; hundreds to thousands of protestors were killed by police and military forces.[16]
There were mixed international reactions to the events.[5] Most Arab leaders were generally supportive or neutral, with the exception of Qatar and Tunisia who strongly condemned the military's actions. Other states either condemned or expressed concern over the removal of Morsi; there was also a perceived measured response from the United States. Due to the regulations of the African Union regarding the interruption of constitutional rule by a member state, Egypt was suspended from that union. There has also been debate in the media regarding the labeling of these events. It has been variously described by most Western nations as a coup[6][7][8][9][10] or as a revolution[15] by proponents.
Ensuing protests in favour of Morsi were violently suppressed with the dispersal and massacre of pro-Morsi sit-ins on 14 August 2013, amid ongoing unrest; hundreds to thousands of protestors were killed by police and military forces.[16]