Tag: torture
Egypt, Angola, Qatar secure seats on UN Human Rights Council
This report is not from The Onion. Yes, Mubarak’s regime was rewarded a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, for its shiny record in treating the Egyptian people:
Egypt, Angola and Qatar easily won seats on the council despite opposition from human rights groups that said they did not deserve a spot on the council because of their bad human rights records.
Abu Omar threatens hunger strike in response to security hassles
One hundred days have passed since Abu Omar’s release from State Security custody, and his saga continues.
Abu Omar was kidnapped from Milan, by the CIA in February 2003, part of their extraordinary renditions program, and was flown to Egypt where he was brutally tortured by the Mukhabarat and State Security Police.
Abu Omar is still banned from traveling outside the country. Moreover the government refuses to issue him a National ID card. This basically means he cannot open a bank account, issue a passport, or conduct any sort of transaction. He basically does not exist any more in the eyes of the law.
Abu Omar says he sent a letter to State Security Police demanding his documents, but they have ignored him completely. “If my problem does not get solved soon, I’ll travel to Cairo to protest and stage a hunger strike,” he told me tonight. “I’m expecting my arrest any minute, and have already prepared my bag with items I’ll need in prison.”