Michaela Singer reports:
When Doctor Ilhamy Sultan began searching for his missing brother on the night of July 21, 2008, the last place he expected to find him was lying in a hospital bed, the victim of brutal police violence.
Ragai Sultan is 46 going on 47. However, with an IQ of 50, he could be classified as only borderline intelligent. This did not stop him from leading a normal life. Until two weeks ago, Ragai lived independently, bought his own food, cooked for himself, and went for walks near his home in Alexandria.
On the afternoon of July 21, Ragai was snatched by police as he was taking a walk along the Corniche. He was rounded up with a group of street children and bundled into the back of a police truck.
Ragai, although lacking the communication skills of an adult, is sitting wearing trousers and a neat shirt. His face bears the features of adulthood, although his wide blue eyes have a childlike innocence. They are also noticeably filled with fear.
“He was unlucky,” says his sister, Chinaz, “Out of all the young people they brought to the police station of Samouha, he was the one they beat up this badly.”
Police officers left Ragai unconscious. His head injuries were so severe he suffered from bleeding in the brain that lasted 10 days. Other injuries included a broken rib, shoulder and fracture in his neck, leaving his left arm paralyzed. After two and a half weeks, the bruising that covered his whole body is still visible.
The stitches on his head were almost a centimeter wide running vertically down his head.
Sitting across from Ragai, it is easy to hold a conversation with him. It would not have been difficult, one realizes, for police to quickly understand his situation, his condition, and that they had simply made a mistake. From the onset of his ordeal, Ragai, as he and Chinaz relate, tried to explain his identity.
“I told them I was from a good family, and the names of my neighbors, where I lived.” said Ragai.
Most importantly, Ragai carries with him his identity card at all times, as is obligatory of all Egyptian citizens. On the back of the card, a short statement informs the reader of his condition, and provides his brother’s details in case of any problems.
The identity card, however, did not stop police from taking a bat to Ragai, and beating him from head to toe.