US Secretary of State John Kerry signaled his strong support for the Egyptian military in the midst of military and 'security force' crackdowns that have left over 300 people dead, including at least 80 Morsi supporters shot Saturday.
Speaking to Pakistan's GEO TV Thursday, Kerry proclaimed, "The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descendance into chaos, into violence."
He continued, "The military did not take over, to the best of our judgement - so far. To run the country, there's a civilian government. In effect, they were restoring democracy."
This comes as the military-backed interim government threatens to snuff out pro-Morsi rallies planned for Friday, putting the country on edge and sparking fears of explosive violence.
Amid growing international concerns about military coup and human rights abuses, Kerry's statement appears to be a full-fledged endorsement of the military's actions.
Human rights advocates have condemned the spiraling human rights nightmare in Egypt. Amnesty International declared Wednesday, "The Egyptian government’s decision to mandate security forces to end all pro-Morsi sit-ins in Greater Cairo, considering recent violence against protesters, is a recipe for further bloodshed."
There have also been reports of violence and torture on the part of Morsi supporters, who have clashed with Egyptian residents in neighborhoods throughout the country.
The Obama administration has refused to rule on whether the military takeover constitutes a "coup," a move that allows the US government to circumvent US law and renew the annual $1.55 billion in US military aid, which has for decades contributed to growing Egypt's brutal security state while securing US and Israeli geopolitical power in the region.
The military-backed interim government recently announced it is resurrecting the despised secret police, despite claims that they were disbanded after the fall of Mubarak.
Meanwhile, growing voices within Egypt are speaking out against both military and Morsi rule, declaring that violent suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood—whose leaders were also guilty of violent crackdown on dissent while they were in power—must stop.
"Egypt is now under threat of being dragged into critical situations that put the demands of the January 25 revolution in danger [including] falling into the trap of unconditional military rule," reads a statement by the group "To Continue the Revolution; Now Not Tomorrow."
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