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Rights group warns of 'bloodbath' if Egypt's interim leaders end pro-Morsi sit-ins by force

August 3, 2013 at 3:39AM

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans against Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi outside Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, where supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi have installed a camp and hold daily rallies at Nasr City, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Authorities outlined plans Friday to break up two sit-ins by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, saying they would set up a cordon around the protest sites, and riot police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators threatening a TV complex. Morsi backers also showed their defiance by briefly setting up a third camp near the airport, but later folded their tents and left. Arabic on posters read, "Peaceful." (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

CAIRO — An international human rights group has warned of a "bloodbath" if Egypt's new leadership uses force to end sit-ins by loyalists of the country's ousted president.

The statement by Human Rights Watch came as Mohammed Morsi's followers called for new mass rallies across the country on Friday in defiance of a government order to disband.

Nadim Houry from the New-York-based group says Egyptian authorities need to "avoid another bloodbath" and "ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully."

Egypt's military deposed Morsi on July 3, following days of demonstrations by millions who rallied against him and the rule of his Muslim Brotherhood.

Many say Morsi's one-year rule was rampant with political failures and focused on concentrating power in the hands of his Islamist group.