Hossam el-Hamalawy
Mubarak’s army generals in action:
Samira was handcuffed to a wall in the museum complex. For nearly seven hours — almost every five minutes, she said — Samira was electrocuted with a stun gun. Her torturers would sometimes splash water on her and others to make the shocks more painful. The electrical jolts were applied to her legs, shoulders and stomach. She pleaded with the soldier to stop. Repeating what the demonstrators had chanted in Tahrir Square, she said, “I begged them. I said, ‘You are my brothers. The army and the people are one.’” Her tormentor replied, “No, the military is above the nation. And you deserve this.”
The Washington Post
At around 11 p.m., Samira and others were moved to one of the main military prisons. She would remain there for three more days. Over those days, the abuse, insults and intimidation continued. They spit on her. All of her belongings were stolen. She was given kerosene-soaked bread for food. But the most humiliating moment was when they first brought her into the prison. She and 10 other women arrested in the square were stripped and forcibly examined to determine whether they were virgins. She had been told that any woman found not to be a virgin would have prostitution added to her charges.
“The dissolving of the state security is a victory,” el-Hamalawy continues, “but it does not mean there will be no more torture in Egypt. There were many different elements of the security forces implicated in crimes under the previous regime, right down to the traffic police. The dissolving of the state security comes as a direct response to the pressure on the streets, and we are sending a clear message to the heads of all elements of the security forces; if you are responsible for the torture of citizens, you will face similar demonstrations and your offices will be occupied. The people will not be silent any longer.”