Morsi’s supporters at fault for provoking security forces into firing: Egypt panel
It found that 632 people were killed, 624 of them civilians in one of the bloodiest days in Egypt's modern history.
But the protesters had brought it upon themselves as armed men within their ranks had shot first at the security forces and also used civilians as human shields, it said.
The findings mainly echoed the military-backed government's version of events. But in an unusual move, the panel also placed some responsibility for the bloodshed on the security forces and said they had used disproptionate force.
The mass killings took place when the security forces moved to dismantle the protest camps set up by supporters of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the army six weeks earlier after demonstrations against his rule. Security forces then mounted a harsh crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood movement.
The commission's findings, announced at a news conference on Wednesday, were the most detailed official account of the dispersal of Brotherhood supporters who had camped around the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in northeast Cairo for weeks - a flashpoint in the struggle between the Islamist movement and the new army-backed government.
During a weeks-long standoff, international mediators tried to persuade the government to avoid using force in Rabaa and escalating a political crisis. But hardliners prevailed.
Security forces, including snipers, stormed the camps on 14 August, firing live ammunition under the cover of army helicopters. Bulldozers tore down tents which were set ablaze, witnesses said.
But the protesters had brought it upon themselves as armed men within their ranks had shot first at the security forces and also used civilians as human shields, it said.
The findings mainly echoed the military-backed government's version of events. But in an unusual move, the panel also placed some responsibility for the bloodshed on the security forces and said they had used disproptionate force.
The mass killings took place when the security forces moved to dismantle the protest camps set up by supporters of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the army six weeks earlier after demonstrations against his rule. Security forces then mounted a harsh crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood movement.
The commission's findings, announced at a news conference on Wednesday, were the most detailed official account of the dispersal of Brotherhood supporters who had camped around the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in northeast Cairo for weeks - a flashpoint in the struggle between the Islamist movement and the new army-backed government.
During a weeks-long standoff, international mediators tried to persuade the government to avoid using force in Rabaa and escalating a political crisis. But hardliners prevailed.
Security forces, including snipers, stormed the camps on 14 August, firing live ammunition under the cover of army helicopters. Bulldozers tore down tents which were set ablaze, witnesses said.