Koscheh massacre

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During the Koscheh massacres (officially under the euphemistic name Arabic حادثة الكشح 'Kosheh Incident') are two different massacres of Coptic Christians that took place in 1998 and 2000 in the village of el-Kosheh in Upper Egypt , about 450 km south of the Egyptian capital Cairo . The term primarily refers to the bloodbath on Sunday January 2, 2000, when 21 Coptic Christians were the victims of a major massacre by Muslims. The Coptic Christians, who were tortured and killed in this event, were brought to light by Pope Shenuda III. considered a martyr of the Coptic Orthodox Church .

Koscheh is located on the eastern bank of the Nile in Sohag Governorate , a few kilometers east of el-Balyana . The population is 35,000 and 70% of the village are Christian Copts. It is the trading center for a large number of villagers in the area. There is little farmland in Koscheh, which is more of a shopping nexus for the surrounding countries. Most of the business owners are Copts as well , while most of the farmers in the surrounding villages are Muslims.

First Koscheh massacre

Tensions between Christians and Muslims began in August 1998 when two Copts were murdered by Muslims. The Muslims sought revenge for “poisoning a brother” who died of natural causes. Egyptian police responded by arresting 1,200 Christian villagers for investigation into the alleged murder. When Metropolitan Wissa of el-Balyana ( Abydos ), whose diocese includes el-Koscheh, criticized the arrests, he and two of his priests were arrested himself and accused of inciting discord and damaging national unity between Christians and Muslims.

In October 1998, the London Daily Telegraph reported that mock crucifixions were carried out on some Copts from el-Kosheh and that Metropolitan Wissa was threatened with execution. The Egyptian government was upset by this criticism and arrested the head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), who they accused of delivering the report to the Daily Telegraph. Although the government promised to punish any police officer who acted improperly, on the contrary, some of the police officers involved in human rights abuses against the Copts were promoted. Therefore, the First Koscheh Massacre turned into an international case. As a result, Copts began in the West , the United States Congress to push to Egypt to be included in the list of countries that discriminate which Christians.

Second Koscheh massacre

The second Koscheh massacre began over a year later - on Friday, December 31, 1999. This event resulted from a quarrel between a Christian trader and a Muslim customer. The misunderstanding strained Muslim-Christian relations in the community. Relatives of the Muslim customer targeted Christian homes and businesses that were looted, destroyed and burned down. Initially, the police were able to contain the situation. However, the riots spread the violence on January 2, 2000 (Sunday) to the surrounding villages and resulted in the murder of 21 Christians. A Muslim was accidentally shot by a devout Muslim. More than 40 people were murdered in the two-day massacres. 260 houses, shops and kiosks were also deliberately burned down and damaged. Most of the killings took place in the outskirts of el-Koscheh, especially in the agricultural fields. This event was one of the bloodiest massacres in Egyptian history .

The local authorities did almost nothing to stop the killings. On the contrary, there were even cases in which the officers took part in the killings. After the massacre, the entire Coptic community felt vindicated that these events stemmed from the negligence of the Egyptian administration, embodied by the police forces, when it came to protecting Coptic human life and property. Because local police units are often made up of the local population, local feuds about Muslim resentment towards Christian families often rub off on police behavior.

On December 1, 2000, a Sohag criminal court released all 89 defendants who were involved in the New Year's massacre in el-Kosheh without bail . It was unusual for several dozen homicide accused in Egypt to be released without bail before the verdicts. All suspects originally arrested in connection with the carnage were eventually acquitted by dropping their lawsuit. The only person convicted was a Muslim who was responsible for the accidental killing of the other Muslim; he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. No one was ever convicted for the murder of the 21 Christian victims. This sparked indignation among the Coptic community, who thought it better if the suspects were taken into custody. The Patriarch of Alexandria , Pope Shenuda III. publicly rejected the verdict, stating: "We want to challenge this decision. We do not accept it." Metropolitan Wissa of el-Balyana (Abydos), whose diocese includes el-Kosheh, called the verdict "a shame that dishonors Egypt's reputation and an invitation to more violence." Egypt's Attorney General Maher Abdel Wahid appealed against the accused's acquittal, stating: "There is no doubt that 21 people were killed and that the murderers must be brought to justice." A Copt from el-Kosheh admitted: "We could never imagine that they would release the murderers, but that's Egypt."

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Political & Security Intelligence Analysis of the Islamic World and its Neighbors, Volume XII, Number III. The Estimate, February 11, 2000, accessed October 20, 2011 .
  2. ^ A b c Barbara G. Baker: Egypt's Prosecutor Appeals El-Kosheh Murder Acquittals. Atour.com, May 14, 2001, accessed October 20, 2001 .
  3. ^ A b c Egyptian Court Releases All 89 El-Kosheh Defendants. In: Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction. Christianity Today , accessed October 20, 2011 .
  4. ↑ Middle East Transparent. Metransparent.com, June 14, 2004, archived from the original on September 28, 2011 ; Retrieved October 20, 2011 .

Coordinates: 26 ° 14 '  N , 32 ° 5'  E