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  3. No: 195, 8 July 2013, Press Release Regarding the Deaths Occurred in Egypt After Shooting at Demonstrators.
No: 195, 8 July 2013, Press Release Regarding the Deaths Occurred in Egypt After Shooting at Demonstrators.

We have learned with profound regret that according to first estimates more than fifty people have lost their lives and some five hundred people have been wounded as a result of the armed assault on protestors that were staging a sit in demonstration for a return to democracy in Egypt in front of the Republican Guard headquarters this morning during the morning prayers. We wish that God’s peace be upon those who have lost their lives during the attack and a speedy recovery for the injured.

We strongly condemn in the name of basic humanitarian values this attack. The attack targeting the people as a whole is seen as an incident that could have extremely severe consequences in Egypt. The attack is not only a clear violation of the fundamental universal values such as freedom of expression and the right to peaceful demonstration but is also of a provocative nature that could provoke further violence.

We commend the dignified stance displayed by the Egyptian people in the name of freedom and on the path to democracy by refraining from violence and provocation. We call upon the international community to side with democracy and to support the Egyptian peoples’ struggle for democracy. We regard full respect for the free will of the Egyptian people on the basis of constitutional legitimacy and a prompt return to democracy as the “sine qua non” of peace and stability in brotherly Egypt.

Turkey will continue to display its solidarity with the friendly and brotherly people of Egypt.