Egypt imports 140,000 tear gas canisters from U.S.

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Just as U.S.-made tear gas was used against protesters by Egyptian security forces under Hosni Mubarak, the U.S. government continues to permit hundreds of thousands of canisters to imported to Egypt for profligate use under Mohammed Morsi.

"In January, the Interior Ministry ordered the import of 140,000 teargas canisters from the United States," Egypt Independent reported this week. According to the English-language publication, a memo from the Egyptian police's Major General Magdy al-Gohary indicated that the U.S. government only okayed the permit for the tear gas import when "the company’s name and country of origin" were removed from the canisters. During the Arab Spring, pictures from Tahrir Square of empty canister brandished with "made in the USA" logos garnered viral attention and international outrage as protesters reportedly suffocated in excessive tear gas fumes and were directly struck by canisters.

Egypt Independent cited the Major General's memo as reading:

Egyptian police throw tear gas at Tahrir Square protesters

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Once again, Cairo's Tahrir Square is thronging with protesters. On Tuesday, more than 200,000 people gathered in opposition to President Mohammed Morsi's far-reaching new decrees.

Egyptian police threw tear gas canisters into the crowd, which is comparable in size to those of the 2011 Arab Spring. According to reports, one middle-aged man died from inhaling tear gas on Tuesday.

Reuters posted this video:

Salon.com > Tear gas

Egypt imports 140,000 tear gas canisters from U.S.

Egyptian police throw tear gas at Tahrir Square protesters