How eyepatches became a symbol of Egypt's revolution

More than 80 people lost eyes at the hands of Egypt's security forces; now eyepatches have become a sign of respect

The Guardian

"Earlier this month hundreds of protesters gathered outside Cairo's Qasr al-Aini hospital wearing eyepatches. It was further confirmation that Egypt's revolution had acquired a new symbol. Appearing in graffiti around the city and on a statue of a lion on the Qasr al-Nil bridge at the entrance to Tahrir Square, the eyepatch has come to represent the sacrifices made in Egypt's struggle since January this year.

It reflects widespread anger felt towards Central Security Forces (CSF) snipers who, it is claimed, have targeted protesters' heads – it has been reported that more than 80 people have lost eyes and many more have sustained head and neck injuries since the protests in January.

The activist Ahmed Harara, profiled in Time magazine last week in an edition that named "The Protester" as person of the year, has become well known for his eyepatch, labelled "January 28" to commemorate the day he lost his eye. When intense fighting broke out in November, immediately before the elections, Harara was again shot in Tahrir Square and lost his other eye.

Claims by protesters that the targeting was more pronounced in the November clashes are backed up by Ghada Shahbender of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, who says she heard a high-ranking CSF officer instructing soldiers to aim at the protesters' heads as she passed through their ranks on 19 November. She witnessed a number of people with eye injuries, including the prominent activist and blogger Malek Mostafa....."