In a cellphone video recorded during the riots in Cairo, a young woman is seen being gunned down by Egyptian army forces.
The death toll from the violence is now estimated at over 500 and the number injured at nearly 4,000.
Although President Obama today announced “We don’t take side with any party or political figure,” the shooting is notably similar to a 2009 shooting of a protester in Iran that the president denounced. (Related: Obama washes hands of Egypt, goes golfing)
In the video the young woman can be seen backing away down the street at 00:12 seconds. She appears to be filming on her cellphone.
At 00:19 seconds a shot is heard. At which point there are cries from the gathered protesters and the woman is next seen on the ground. She is then dragged out of the street by the assembled crowd and a wound is seen on her back at 00:37 seconds.
The name and age of the woman is unknown at present. According to the user “sadomax” who posted to the video to the video sharing site Liveleak, she is “young” and has succumbed to her injuries.
During the Iranian “Green Revolution” of 2009 the death of protester Neda Agha Soltan became an international touchstone after a video of her dying after being shot went viral. Commenting on her death, Obama said: “I think that anybody who sees it knows that there’s something fundamentally unjust about that.” He also called the video “heartbreaking.”
