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Istanbul protests against death sentences in Egypt

In Istanbul’s Faith Square the names of 529 Egyptians sentenced to death was displayed on a distinctive yellow background. The symbolic Rabia sign was everywhere as hundreds gathered to demonstrate. Euronews correspondent Bora Bayraktar said: “Those who have been campaigning against the military coup in Egypt are back on the streets this time to protest against the executions. They are calling for the authorities to reverse their decision.” There were chants of “killer Sissi” as women marched together in a separate demonstration from the men. The death sentences passed by Egyptian authorities last month have prompted similar protests across the world many from Muslim Brotherhood supporters and have been condemned by the international community. “We don’t want our Muslim brothers to be executed. We are here to stop it to make our voices heard,” explained one protester while another added: “If we were hopeless, if we did not believe that the decision cannot be reversed, we would have been mourning here. But as you can see there is a feeling of joy here. We believe that the executions can be stopped and that somebody will hear our voices.” Those voices included chants supporting the ousted President Mohammed Mursi. The protests on the streets of Istanbul followed a statement from the Turkish Parliament. A joint declaration supported by all parties expressed deep concern over the death sentences and urged Egypt’s administration to reverse its decision.