CAIRO
By Islam Mosaad
Egypt's pro-democracy National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy on Sunday called for boycotting this week's vote on an amended version of Egypt's 2012 suspended constitution and urged Egyptians to join mass protests against the charter as of Monday.
"This is the time for Egyptians to bring down this blood-stained referendum through peaceful and civilized gatherings and inspiring revolutionary perseverance," the alliance wrote in a statement, a copy of which was mailed to Anadolu Agency.
"The coup leaders were humiliated by Egyptian expatriates who shunned this illegal charter," added the alliance, the main support bloc for ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Egyptian expatriates were asked to cast their ballots on the draft constitution in Egypt's embassies and consulates for five days from last Wednesday.
The turnover was reportedly low, though final figures are yet to be released by the government.
The army-installed interim authorities are taking unprecedented security measures to secure the vote on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The army is deploying around 160,000 soldiers and officers while the Interior Ministry is deploying around 220,000 policemen go secure polling stations nationwide.
The pro-democracy alliance urged voters to stick to what it described as the "spirit" of the 2011 January revolution, which brought the autocracy of long-standing ruler Hosni Mubarak to an end.
The alliance, which is made up of several pro-democracy groups and Islamist parties, warned the interim authorities against committing a "new massacre" against pro-democracy Egyptians.
The referendum on the draft constitution is part of a transitional roadmap imposed by the army following its July 3 ouster of elected Morsi.
The plan also includes presidential and parliamentary elections.
Two students reportedly killed in Egypt clashes
Two Egyptian university students were reportedly killed in clashes between pro-democracy student protesters and policemen late Sunday, a pro-democracy student group said.
According to the Students Against Coup, which supports ousted president Mohamed Morsi, a computer science student identified as Abdel-Rahman Yousri was shot dead when policemen stormed the eastern Cairo campus of Ain Shams University.
The security forces stormed the campus to break up a rally by pro-democracy students calling for boycotting this week's vote on an amended version of Egypt's 2012 suspended constitution.
The referendum on the draft constitution is part of a transitional roadmap imposed by the army following its July 3 ouster of elected Morsi. The plan also includes presidential and parliamentary elections.
Al-Azhar University Student Union, meanwhile, said that a university student was killed and five soldiers were injured in clashes between students and policemen outside a local police station in eastern Cairo.
Scores of students gathered outside the Fifth Settlement police station to protest the arrest of four female students from the university for partaking in pro-democracy students.
The security forces fired live ammunition at the students, killing one and injuring five others, Ahmed al-Baqari, head of the university's student union, said in press statements.
The allegations on the two deaths could not be verified.
Since Egypt's academic year began in September, several of the country's universities have been rocked by demonstrations against Morsi's overthrow.
Daily student rallies often escalate into confrontations with police, and scores of students have been arrested during the violence. A number of students have also reportedly been killed during clashes.
Al-Azhar University – a traditional stronghold of students affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Morsi hails – has seen the most violent protests.
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