The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom (USCIRF) insisted on the observance of justice in cases of anti-Christian violence in Egypt, especially with respect to the explosion in Alexandria, which claimed 23 lives.

On Sunday, Egyptian court acquitted two men suspected of killing six Coptic Orthodox Christians and one Muslim, a security guard in January 2010 in Naga Hammadi.



Leonard Leo, head of the USCIRF, noted that this case "was considered an Egyptian court for a year, but there were serious violations of due process and fairness." Last month, Mohammed Hussein Ahmed, one of three men accused of murder, was convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. The court ratified the verdict on Sunday and at the same time, acquitted two accomplices. In the light of political developments in Egypt, Mr. Leo said that: "The new Egyptian government must, by ship, to disclose lawsuits perpetrators of sectarian killings in the country."



He added that "the government must complete a thorough investigation and court proceedings and bring to justice the perpetrators of the explosion of New Year's Eve in Alexandria, which killed 23 people. "Imperfect Justice does not change the situation, not controlled by the government of Egypt", - said Mr. Leo. "The government must ensure that Christian and other non-Muslim places of worship increased security measures, especially in the current context the increasing vulnerability of religious minorities in front of extremist attacks. In particular, there is the threat of extinction of Christians in the region "- summed up Leonard Leo.



In a press release USCIRF, an independent bipartisan federal commission of the Government, said, inter alia, that "for many years the Egyptian government has not taken sufficient steps to stop the repression and discrimination against Christians and other believers, or, in many cases, for punishment of those responsible for violence or other serious violations of religious freedom. " The Commission stressed, echoing the old recommendation to the Egyptian government "to set a single law on the construction and maintenance of places of worship, abolished the ban for religious minorities", and "abolishing the blasphemy law in Egypt."