In a violent and bloody day in Egypt, 13 people were shot and killed after confrontations between pro-Morsi protesters and riot police occurred all over the country, Reuters reported.
Protests have become normal on Friday after midday prayers and confrontations become more bloody as the referendum scheduled for Jan. 14 and 15 draws near and Brotherhood supporters continue to protest against the current military backed government, according to Reuters.
Daily demonstrations have taken place since President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July and replaced by Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to Reuters.
A ban on any religious based political parties will be voted on at the referendum, which the army-backed government insists is a step closer to getting the country back on track to a democratic state by the middle of 2014, according to Reuters. But if the ban is passed, more power might be placed into the hands of the current government, leading to more bloodshed.
In passing the ban, the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and most recognized political movement will be removed from Egypt's elections which they have dominated since the removal of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, Reuters reported.
In Nasr City, riot police threw tear gas at the crowd of protesters who were throwing fireworks and stones, fighting against the government even after the Muslim Brotherhood was deemed a terrorist organization, Reuters reported.
The Health Ministry reported five people were killed around Cairo, and a security source stated they died of bullet wounds, Reuters reported.
One of the five was a man who shouted insults at pro-Brotherhood supporters as they marched near his house and was shot, according to the source, Reuters reported. Another male and female were shot dead in Alexandria, but sources were not sure whether she was protesting or just a stander-by.
In Ismailia, two other people were shot by Egyptian police after a march began from a mosque shortly after midday prayer on Friday, according to medical sources, Reuters reported.
Southwest of Cairo in Fayoum, three more protesters, including a student, were shot in the head and chest and killed, local Health Ministry official Medhat Shukri told Reuters. Another student was killed in Minya during a class with police.
Fifty-eight people were reported wounded throughout Egypt according to the Health Ministry, Reuters reported. Egyptian police arrested another 122 Brotherhood supporters, or members, for possession of weapons, but the Brotherhood insists its members protest peacefully and are not armed.
Many of the Brotherhood's top leaders have been arrested, and the recent crackdown has left the Brotherhood depending on university students to mobilize protests, Reuters reported.
