Egypt junta uses tactics of ex-dictator on protests: Amnesty

"The behavior of the security forces in dealing with these protests is unfortunately very reminiscent of a time many Egyptians thought they had left behind after the ‘25 January Revolution’," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.

The rights group also said on Wednesday that in recent violence, which followed the death of 74 football fans, riot police used excessive force, including firearms, against demonstrators that protested against Egypt’s military rulers.

The violent clashes occurred on February 1, at the end of a match between supporters of Port Said team, al-Masry, and Cairo's leading club, al-Ahly, leaving 74 people dead and over a thousand injured.

Many Egyptians, including some lawmakers, have blamed the police and the country's ruling military junta for failing to prevent the violence.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui also said “Promises of reform of the security forces continue to ring hollow in the face of the killing of more than a hundred protesters in the last five months.”

“Not only have the authorities not reformed the security forces but evidence of the use of shotguns and live ammunition is met with denial and accusation of foreign interference by Egyptian officials.”

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took over after the ouster of Mubarak. The council has been the target of mass protests in the country for its refusal to live up to its promise of handing power over to a civilian government.