Last week, The Commission on Security and Cooperation of the US Congress, held the following hearing: “From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle to Democratic Transition in Egypt.” The hearing was held by Congress Christopher Smith (R-NJ) in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington D.C..

According the commissions official website, the hearing would would go over the following:

“On Sunday October 9, 2011, 25 people were killed and more than 300 injured when the Egyptian military attacked a peaceful group of Coptic Christians protesting the burning of a church in Aswan. In what has been deemed the “Massacre at Maspero,” referring to the location of the demonstration, witnesses say the army fired on the demonstrators with live ammunition and plowed into the crowd with armored vehicles. The military denied the use of live ammunition and claimed that their soldiers were attacked by an armed mob. The military has arrested at least 28 people, almost all Copts, including prominent blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, and brought them before military prosecutors. The hearing will focus on violence perpetrated against the Coptic Christians in Egypt, the implications of the events for that community and the current Egyptian leadership, and prospects for the consolidation of democracy in Egypt.”

CFI Vice-President, Robert Sweet was in attendance.

Below is the video from hearinging.

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Tags: Arab Spring, Christian Winter, Christopher Smith, Coptic Christians, Egypt, massacre, protest, Robert Sweet, US Congress