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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 June 2000 Issue No. 485 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 June 2000 Issue No. 485
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Bad blood
By Jailan HalawiAugust 1998, in the Upper Egyptian village of Al-Kosheh, two men died of gun shot wounds, allegedly as a result of a gambling dispute. On Monday, Shayboub William Arthur was given the maximum sentence by a court in Sohag, south of Cairo, for the murders. Both of the dead men were close associates of Arthur. One victim, Karam Tamer, was his cousin and the other, Samir Uweida Hakim, was a friend. The court based its guilty verdict on evidence and testimony provided by police.
However, the convicted man continues to assert his innocence. After hearing the court ruling, Arthur's family and friends shouted slogans of support and accused the judges of sectarian bias. In defiance of the ruling, Arthur stated that he is content with "the judgement of God." He said that during the trial he had fully "expected to be acquitted." After the verdict, Arthur was planning "to get my kids and leave Al-Kosheh."
Arthur's lawyers are currently planning their appeal. One of his lawyers contended that there was a political motive behind the guilty verdict. "My interpretation is that the judgement is not fair and was directed by the government," he said. "We gave more than 20 pieces of evidence that he was innocent, but the judge still found him guilty," he added.
At the time, the double murder caused an uproar in the mostly Coptic town of Al-Kosheh. According to the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR), hundreds of Copts were arrested and tortured by police in an effort to pin the crime on a Christian. The primary concern was to forestall an outbreak of inter-sectarian violence. However, the government has denied this accusation and maintains the investigation was conducted with the utmost integrity.
Ironically, the Arthur verdict came shortly after proceedings opened in the very same courthouse against those accused of participating in the deadly sectarian clashes that besieged Al-Kosheh and the neighbouring village of Dar Al-Salam. The violence started in Al-Kosheh with a seemingly innocuous financial quarrel between a Muslim and a Christian merchant over a piece of cloth on new year's eve. Tragically, the dispute sparked full-scale rioting and an exchange of gunfire. Two days later, at least 23 people were dead and 44 injured. The large majority of the victims were Copts. In the aftermath of the turmoil, hysterical rumours began to circulate in Dar Al-Salam that the Copts of Al- Kosheh had poisoned the water supply. Sectarian violence once again consumed the streets. Muslims armed with sticks engaged in random beatings and there were reports of many Copts being robbed at gun point, including a priest from the Mary Girgis Church. By the time calm was restored, a church and 156 homes and businesses belonging to Copts had been burned and looted. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
In the trial of the 96 accused of participating in the Al-Kosheh riot, 38 Muslims could face the death penalty. Seven of the accused are still at large and will be charged in absentia. The prosecution on Saturday told the Sohag Criminal Court it had material evidence as well as town council reports proving the suspects were guilty.
The defense countered that the reports only showed that the actions were committed, but did not prove that the suspects were the actual perpetrators. The judge adjourned the case until 7 August.
In a separate trial for the Dar Al-Salam case, 39 Muslims were charged with arson, looting, ownership of unlicensed weapons, issuing threats and participating in an illegal public gathering. Among the accused, 12 are minors, aged 16 to 17. After hearing preliminary remarks, the court adjourned the case until 3 July and ordered that a government social worker examine the minors to judge whether they should be tried as adults. Three of the suspects in this case are to be tried in absentia.
