Egypt slammed for use of virulent tear gas

Debate is raging on the internet about what sort of tear gas is being used by Egyptian police against the new wave of demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. It’s being claimed that it’s nerve gas or another virulent chemical.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague says a much stronger tear gas than normal has been used - alongside the less powerful conventional tear gas. The OPCW’s Michael Luhan:
“The agent that has reportedly been used in Egypt is CR. CR gas has much greater irritating properties than the older and more commonly used CS tear gas while at the same time being actually less toxic. ”
CR gas was developed by the British defence ministry in the late 1950s and is said to be ten times stronger than conventional tear gas. Egyptian protesters have complained on Twitter and to journalists about the “strange effects” of the gas.
CR gas can cause fever, (temporary) blindness, facial paralysis and, in the worst cases, suffocation. Unlike conventional tear gas, its effects cannot be alleviated by rinsing with water. It is, however, less poisonous than conventional tear gas.
Chemical Weapons Convention
The OPCW says that it can do nothing because Egypt is one of the five countries which have not signed the UN’s Chemical Weapons Convention. The army can therefore do what it likes. If Egypt had signed the convention, the OPCw would still allow the use of tear gas against rioters, as long as the operation does not have a military character.
Human Rights Watch has slammed the regime’s “unjust and totally arbitrary use of tear gas”. It is calling on Egypt’s military leadership to stop its “excessive violence towards demonstrators” immediately.
Shocking images
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has joined the chorus of disapproval. She has denounced the “apparent improper use of tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition”. She also describes as “shocking” the images from Tahrir Square showing the serious assault of demonstrators who have already given themselves up. She says the same goes for “unarmed protesters who have been shot through the head”.
Ms Pillay says the Egyptian regime shouldn’t just immediately stop the violence but must also instigate an impartial and independent investigation. This will have to make clear who bears responsibility for the violence. She also insists the Egyptians have the right to vote in peace in their first free elections since the departure of president Mubarak.
There were no further clashes between demonstrators and riot police on Wednesday night and in the early hours of Thursday. Egypt’s military council has apologised for the deaths of the past few days and relative peace has returned to Cairo. It remains to be seen how long this will last. The protests against the military regime continue unabated.

(mw)