CAIRO, 9 September 2005 — A group of over 150 Egyptian intellectuals presented yesterday a request to the country’s General Prosecutor’s office demanding that three ministers be interrogated over a fire in a cultural center earlier this week that killed 32 people.
The intellectuals, including writers, directors and artists, demanded the ministers of interior, health and culture be held accountable for Monday’s fire in the city of Beni Suef, 150 kilometers south of Cairo.
Three prominent theater critics died in the fire, started from a burning candle used by one of the actors during a live performance. Initial investigations have shown that the cultural center had no emergency exit and no fire extinguishers. Director Nasser Abdel Monem said General Prosecutor Maher Abdel Wahed promised “a complete investigation that will prosecute whoever is responsible.”
“This crime that caused such a huge loss in the Egyptian theater sector cannot pass unnoticed. The simplest thing is for these ministers to resign as a result of this human tragedy,” said prominent writer Sonallah Ibrahim.
