Tag: giza

Mustafa Shehata to face administrative investigation

Posted on By 3arabawy

Police Lieutenant Mustafa Shehata who appeared in the notorious “slaps” video will be referred to an “administrative punitive board within the Giza Security Directorate,” reported Al-Masry Al-Youm. This means basically Shehata will sit in front of a bunch of fellow police officers to be judged for showering detainee Ahmad Gad with slaps (and who knows what else happened without being recorded).

The charges leveled against Shehata include employing “brute force” against a citizen in custody. Egyptian law does not recognize “torture” except if the abuse fiesta’s purpose was “extracting information.” The same goes for Police Captain Islam Nabih and Corporal Reda Fathi, who sexually abused driver Emad Kabeer in Bulaq al-Dakrour Police Station. They will face charges of “employing brute force” against a citizen, and not “torture.” Why? Because they inserted a stick up Emad’s ass for the sake of fun, and not for “extracting information.”

Al-Masry Al-Youm also reported that Shehata identified the detainee in the video clip, but accused him of being a child molester, and denied abusing him in anyway.

Eid Mubarak!

Posted on By 3arabawy

When I saw the photo below of worshipers marking the beginning of Eid ul Adha under rifles, I thought it was from occupied Palestine.

Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​

But no, it is Mubarak’s Egypt. Central Security Forces were literally everywhere in the major cities early morning today, for fear of anti-government demonstrations following the prayers.

  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​
  • Egyptian security forces were heavily present during Eid prayers all over the major cities, for fear of demonstrations. Photo by Nasser Nouri ​, 30 December 2006.​

UPDATE: Four MB activists were detained by police in Giza following the prayers for distributing “Eid Mubarak” leaflets, and another 20 detained in Fayoum including children.

VIDEOGATE: Torture videos to be investigated?

Posted on By 3arabawy

I received the following press release from the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession:

Public Prosecution Asks for Nasser Amin’s Testimony Concerning His Complaints against the Interior Minister


The South Cairo Prosecution on 23 November 2006 requested that lawyer Nasser Amin, Director of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession present himself at 10 am on Saturday, 25 November 2006 before the South Cairo Prosecution to give his testimony concerning the complaint he had filed against Egypt’s Interior Minister.
The mentioned complaint was filed regarding police officers subjecting citizens to torture in some police stations.
The complaint dates back to 17 November when Lawyer Nasser Amin filed a complaint to Egypt’s Prosecutor General calling for urgent and immediate action to put an end to impunity in torture crimes.
The mentioned complaint resulted from the monitoring of torture cases committed by policemen against citizens. One of the monitored incidents which took place at the Haram (Pyramids) police station was committed by an officer called Moustafa under the supervision of another officer called Hani where one officer photographs the other successively slapping a citizen on the face.
Another incident involved sexual assault against a citizen in a police station. The citizen was thrown on the floor and stripped naked while he was handcuffed.
One officer inserted what seemed like a wooden stick in the victims anus while the victim screamed: “Sorry, Pasha! Sorry, Pasha!” These are common phrases in Egyptian police stations.
The complaints was based on Article 64 of the Criminal Procedures Law which urges citizens who learn of a crime to inform public prosecution.
The complaint also pointed out that it is the responsibility of Egypt’s prosecutor general to take serious action to change Egypt’s image reflected in the accusation made by a number of international human rights organizations, as well as the United Nations, that Egypt and Egyptian policemen systematically commit torture during interrogations or otherwise.
It is the responsibility of the prosecutor general to pursue the perpetrators of torture crimes and take legal action against them in order to assure society and to prevent any public authority official from violating the Constitution and State laws, as well as ensure that they respect Egypt’s international obligations.
The complaint was accompanied by a CD containing the mentioned crimes.

UPDATE: Blogger Sharqawi is saying that a senior interior ministry official confirmed to Wael Abdel Fattah of the weekly Al-Fagr that the officer in one of the leaked videos (the one where an officer is slapping a citizen) is indeed part of the police force in one of the stations that follow the Giza Security Directorate.

UPDATE: Here’s Al-Fagr article:
جريدة الفجر