Amnesty International says Egypt failed to protect Coptic Christians against revenge attacks following the ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi.

In a report released this week, Amnesty details the “unprecedented wave” of sectarian attacks on Coptic Christians in August and condemns Egyptian security forces for its lack of action during the violence, and further failure to bring perpetrators to account in the aftermath.

On August 14 this year, 43 churches were completely destroyed, while 207 Christian properties were attacked across Egypt after security forces dispersed protect camps supporting deposed President Mohamed Morsi. Eternity reported on the violence in Egypt in August, and you can read that story here. Amnesty reports there is little doubt the attacks on August 14 were revenge attacks.

“Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood blame Coptic Christians for the ouster of Mohamed Morsi and are scapegoating them for the crackdown on his supporters,” the report reads.

Two months on, Amnesty International has visited the sites of the violence in Al-Minya, Fayoum and Greater Cairo to record the stories of violence and oppression.

Following its investigation, the human rights organisation concluded that Egypt failed to protect Coptic Christians against revenge attacks, accusing security forces of abandoning the minority Christian population in its hour of need.

Amnesty International has released a report this week calling for greater protections for Egypt’s Coptic Christian community.

“It is deeply disturbing that the Christian community across Egypt was singled out for revenge attacks over the events in Cairo by some supporters of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsi,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“In light of previous attacks, particularly since Morsi’s ousting on 3 July, a backlash against Coptic Christians should have been anticipated, yet security forces failed to prevent attacks or intervene to put an end to the violence.”

News organisations around the world have reported the uncertain fate of Egypt’s Christians since August 14, when images of burning churches hit the newspapers. Sky News went so far as to label the violence against Christians in Egypt a ‘pogrom’.

The Amnesty report found a “pattern of inaction” by Egyptian authorities. “The authorities must go beyond rhetoric and political score-settling to address this latest wave of attacks,” says the report. “Investigations into the violence must be thorough, impartial and independent, with the aim of bringing all those responsible to justice, regardless of political affiliation. Investigations must also look into the failure of the security forces to prevent and put an end to the attacks.”

Bishop Makarius of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Al-Minya told Amnesty workers that he has seen a clear rise in the use of sectarian rhetoric in his area during the one-year rule of Mohamed Morsi. He said he believed the burning of churches was part of a “preconceived plan to attack Coptic Christians once the pro-Morsi sit-ins were dispersed, facilitated by the absence of security forces who were themselves under attack.” Calls for help from religious leaders to security officials and armed forces were left unanswered.

Amnesty says there is a long history of abuse and discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt. A litany of attacks occurred under Hosni Mubarak, military rule and Mohamed Morsi, but “impunity for these attacks is entrenched.”

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui says ‘reconciliation sessions’–the favoured method by authorities to resolve sectarian disputes in Egypt–have so far only consolidated the feelings of injustice among minority communities and allowed perpetrators to walk free.

“Proper mechanisms to protect religious minorities and safeguard their rights must instead be introduced. For too long the Christians of Egypt have borne the brunt of sectarian violence. This pattern of inaction by the authorities must change,” he said.

“Words of condemnation must be backed up by concrete steps to provide adequate protection to religious minorities. The state must ensure full reparation, including financial compensation, to the victims of sectarian attacks.  The rebuilding of places of worship must also be prioritised and legal obstacles to building churches immediately repealed. Without such concrete measures, Coptic Christians, once again, would just have been used as an excuse to settle political scores.”

Read the full Amnesty International report here.