Seven killed in Egypt as clashes break out over Rabaa commemorations

Seven people were killed as supporters and opponents of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi clashed after Friday prayers in the capital Cairo and nearby Giza, opposition figures said.

The deaths come a day after at least seven anti-coup protesters were killed during rallies to mark the first anniversary of a deadly police crackdown in Cairo that left more than 1,000 dead at the Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares.

After prayers on Friday three people were shot and killed by security forces at a pro-Morsi protest on Giza’s al-Haram Street, including a local resident who had not been participating in the rally, according to opposition sources.

A source from the National Alliance for the Defence of Legitimacy (NADL), Morsi’s main bloc, said two protesters were also killed by security forces in Giza.

Later in the day two young men were killed by live fire in an eastern district of Cairo.

“A young man named Wael Said was shot with live fire during a protest in Matariya district,” a source from the NADL told Anadolu Agency, adding that another protester, Mohamed Essam, 15, was killed at the same protest.

The alliance said the death toll now stands at 14 since Thursday, although government officials dispute this. They have confirmed four deaths on Thursday and are yet to comment on Friday’s casualties.

Security officials told AFP that clashes broke out on Friday when pro-Morsi marchers set off fireworks close to shops and residences during a protest in Cairo’s western neighbourhood of Faisal.

A security officer and three conscripts were wounded in the clashes, the security officials said.

Nationwide, 29 people were arrested during protests, security officials and state news agency MENA reported.

Human Rights Watch, in a controversial report released on Tuesday, called the Rabaa massacre one of the largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history.

The New York-based watchdog concluded that in Rabaa al-Adawiya alone at least 817 people were killed, and called for top officials to be investigated for likely "crimes against humanity".

Further clashes and deaths were also reported throughout Egypt on 14 August, 2013, making the day the bloodiest since the 2011 overthrow of former leader Hosni Mubarak. 

According to the Egyptian Health Ministry, 638 people were killed on 14 August, of whom 595 were civilians and 43 police officers, with at least 3,994 injured. The Muslim Brotherhood puts the figure much higher.