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Ephraim Shehata and his
wife Rasha are Coptic Christian couple lives
in samalout, Egypt.
On February 27, 2010 as Ephraim Shehata and
his wife on their way to work were ambushed
by a group of Islamic terrorists who ordered
them to get off their motorbike.
The attackers assaulted
the couple before shooting. "They were
aiming at Ephraim's head, but the bullet
went to his neck instead, besides the
bullets to his side and abdomen." said the
wife, who was also shot several times.
Ephraim underwent several surgical
operations; however, shrapnel’s from the
bullet which went into his neck lodged in
his spine causing paralysis on his right
side. The police arrested all five
perpetrators.
Many observers see the hand of the state
security in the attack on Ephraim, to
penalize him for breaking the news of
Christian persecution in his village and as
a warning to others.
Security agencies in are
deliberately not protecting the Copts and in
some cases even helping the extremists.
We call upon the
government of Egypt to exercise rule of law,
respect the freedom of speech and protect
the Christian minority.
We call for the moral
and financial obligation of the Egyptian
government towards this family.
We urge Egyptian courts
to hold fair trials and to justly prosecute
convicted perpetrators.
Sincerely,
undersigned |
