[JURIST] The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] on Tuesday urged Egyptian authorities to address escalating violence arising after the military’s ouster [JURIST report] of president Mohamed Morsi [official BBC profile; JURIST news archive] last week. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] condemned [official statement] recent reports of violence and murder at a mass protest site in Cairo and urged both sides to “do everything possible to avoid further escalation.” According to the OHCHR more than 80 people have been killed and over 1000 injured since political turmoil gripped the nation last week. The OHCHR urged [UN News Centre report] interim authorities to investigate alleged human rights violations promptly, thoroughly and transparently via an independent and impartial adjudicative body.

The Egyptian military deposed Morsi last Wednesday amid protests and demonstrations calling for his resignation for his alleged failure to address economic and security issues during his one-year tenure as president. Egypt has faced political unrest since the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder] began over two years ago. Earlier this week Egyptian blogger Ahmed Douma, who had been sentenced to six months in prison for insulting Morsi, was released [JURIST report] according to the state news agency MENA. Earlier in July Egyptian authorities shut down [JURIST report] four Islamist-run television stations it viewed as sympathetic to Morsi. In the same timeframe the Chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Adly Mansour, on took the oath [JURIST report] to become the interim head of state after the Egyptian military deposed Morsi.