CODEPINK to Join Memorial at Franklin Square Commemorating Anniversary of Egypt’s Rab’a Massacre


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 13, 2014

Contact: Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder, medea@codepink.org, 415-235-6517

Alli McCracken, CODEPINK organizer, alli@codepink.org, 860-575-5692

CODEPINK to Join Memorial at Franklin Square Commemorating Anniversary of Egypt’s Rab’a Massacre

When: Thursday, August 14th at 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Where: Franklin Square National Park, Washington, DC- look for the pink.

Washington, DC –– Thursday, August 14, 2014 marks the one year anniversary of Egypt’s Rab’a Massacre when the Egyptian police and army opened fire on demonstrators opposed to the military’s July 3 ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi. The result was the worst mass killing in Egypt’s modern history.


Human rights activists will be globally commemorating the day. The memorial in Franklin Square is meant to remember victims and their families, and to show the world that there are people of conscience who care about justice and rule of law. Egyptian-Americans with first-hand accounts of the brutality in the square will be available at the memorial for interviews.


“The Rab’a Massacre is a crime against humanity of epic proportions,” said Sameh Elhennawy, president of the DC Council of Egyptian Americans for Democracy and Human Rights, the group organizing the DC memorial. “Shamefully, no one has been held accountable for this massacre and the immunity given by the Egyptian regime to those who committed the crime is unforgivable.”


“It’s shameful that instead of calling for investigations and accountability on this anniversary of the Rab’a Massacre, the U.S. government has pledged its support for the brutal Sisi regime,” says CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin, who was assaulted by Egyptian government thugs at the Cairo aiport in March 2014.


The just-released Human Rights Watch report, “All According to Plan: The Rab’a Massacre and Mass Killings of Protesters in Egypt”, is a chilling account of the massacre. The group’s executive director and author were denied entry into Egypt this week, where they had planned to release the report.


The press contact at the action will be Alli McCracken (860-575-5692).



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