I received the following statement…
El-Nadim Center For the Management and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence
Member of AMAN Network
3 A Soliman El Halabi Street , off Ramses street , Cairo
Tel: 202 5787089 Fax: 5776792 email: Nadim@link.net website: www.hrinfo.net/egypt/NadimTo those concerned with the reputation of Egypt
The Ministry’s men in Damietta violate the law, torture citizens, destroy homes and take hostagesA new crime in the record of the Damietta police: The victim this time is the family of Fawzi Hassan…
On Tuesday the 27th of February 2007 a doctor from El-Nadim center and a lawyer from the Egyptian Association against Torture visited El Saru village to follow up on the family of Abu El Einen, after the police had, once again, broken into his house and destroyed what remained of the furniture. We found another crime waiting for us, committed by the Damietta police against El Sayed Fawzi Hassan (60 years old, baker) and his children. The police detained Fawzi and one of his sons for 17 days during which they were subject to torture using electricity, beating with batons and punches and complete stripping of their clothes.
The police had earlier tried to fabricate a case of theft against one of Fawzi’s children. The young man was released by court since he proved that he was outside the country when that crime was allegedly committed. Since then the police has been checking on the family on a daily basis, breaking the doors and furniture of their apartment and ordering the family not to make any repairs and to leave the doors open day and night, so that the officers can come and go whenever they want. It is once again the same scenario that faced the family of Abou el Einen.
On the 28th of February 2007 , at 1 am, after we had left the village, the police once agsint attacked the family in their residence, and estroyed the remaining furniture. At 1.45 pm of the same day they attacked the bakery where Fawzi and his sons work. They were beaten up and the son, El Sayed Fawzi Hassan, was arrested and kept for 24 hours in the police station. He was ordered to check in at the police station every day at 8pm, although there is no court order to that effect.
We attach with this statement the testimonies of the family members, without any editing, including the obscenities used by the police against the women and men of the family.
El-Nadim Center holds the Ministry of Interior fully responsible for the harm that has befallen the family as well as the torture suffered by El Sayed Fawzi Hassan by the hands of:
Chiefs of intelligence: Officers Muhammad El Bana and Muhammad Sarhan.
Intelligence inspectors: Mohsen Nagib and Muhammad El Ashmawy
Intelligence assistants: Mesbah El Kasabi and Muhammad Shalabi
We urgently call upon all human rights organizations to send sending messages of protest to:
Minister of Interior: 00 202 796 0682
Public Prosecutor: 00 202 575 7165
Damietta Public Attorney: 00 2057 335 566Family Testimonies
The father, Fawzi Hassan Zeidan
Three months ago my son came back from Libya. He was sitting on a café when a microbus stiopped, a number of men in plain clothes came out of it and attacked the men on the café and verbally abused them. My son, not knowing they were the “government” replied to their abuse. They took him to the police station. They beat him and electrocuted him in his ears and his genitals and asked him to call himself by a name of a woman. He refused.
Two days later he returned home, totally shattered. We were afraid of “the government”, so we did not complain. My son remained in bed for a whole month, unable to do anything. I took him outside the village so that he can recover. When he returned he found an old charge against him that he had stolen a mobile shop. We were lucky that on the date of that charge he was in Libya. We showed his passport in court and he was released.
But officer Muhammad el Banna did not forget about him. He kept harassing him until he decided to leave. They also harassed his brother Awad and his wife, in El Shoara village, until they too left.
Later my youngest son, Ahmad, was also sitting on a café with his friends. He saw them coming, was afraid and ran away leaving his mobile behind him. They ran after him, and shot at him. The bullet hit him in his hand. I did not see him and I don’t know his whereabouts. It is the bystanders who told me. The boy ran away and I know nothing about him.
The chief intelligence officer at the directorate called me a pimp and said the same thing to my wife, who has done the pilgrimage. While I was standing in my bakery, I found “the government” all over around the place. They asked me for the license and I told them I don’t have any. They came in three police trucks filled with men. They took me to Ras El Bar police station. They took the workers too. They had the chief of intelligence with them.
When I was climbing the stairs of the police station, he poked me in my back and said: To whom does this bag of Marihuana belong? I said: What marihuana? He asked me about the address of two of my children? I told him they lived in El Shoara. They sent a car to bring Awad and El Sayed. They brought Sayed but could not find Awad. They destroyed his house before they left.
They put us in the “fridge” for 17 days.. El Sayed and myself.. a small room.. 1 times 3 meters.. It had an open water pipe which could be closed only from the officer’s room. Whenever he felt like it he would open the stopcock and the room would be drowned in water.
All that time nobody was allowed to see. We knew later that many lawyers tried to visit us, but they would not let them. They would not release us either.
On the 17th day at about 10 am, we were summoned by intelligence inspector El Sayed Ashmawi.. He kept threatening us: if you don’t bring your son, I shall charge you with case of Marihuana. WE were still in the security directorate. The next day he sent us to El Zarka to be released from there. We found Ashmawi sitting behind the officer’s desk. He told me to leave and that Sayed will leave the next day. And he was released the next day.
Day before yesterday on the 25 th of February they came again. It was night. I was still at work. My wife called me screaming: help, I’ll die, “the government” came and destroyed the house and beat me up. I returned at 12 midnight. I found the house in a big mess. I heard some noise, opened the door and found the “government” once again. Among them were Officer Muhammad el Banna and Muhammad Bek Sarhan, Damietta chief of intelligence.
They came into the house. My wife was praying. After she finished he called her bitch. She was shocked, fainted and fell to the ground. My son Rabie hurried to see what was wrong with her. The officer stopped him and said: Leave her to die. I want you to look at your mother dying and never to forget this scene. He removed what has remained from the door and said: Don’t you dare repair this door, for we shall continue to come whenever we want!!
They beat me daughter in law, who is pregnant in her first months.
When the day broke I took my wife, children and daughter and law and left the village, leaving all doors open. We were afraid even to repair the doors.
El Sayed, the son
I used to work as a baker in El Shoara. They came to the bakery and asked me to go with them. I asked: What was going on? And they said: We only need you for a couple of questions and you will return at once. On the way they asked me about my brother Awad and about Hossam El Sadat. I told them I did not know where they are. I really don’t know where they are. I only know they left to avoid the harassment of the “government”.
When I arrived at the police station I found my father. Officer Gamal Salama was beating him up with his own hands. The sergeants were helping him. They beat us and humiliated us with the most horrible words. They fabricated a case of Marihuana against us. I found my father in the “fridge”. They tortured us with electricity and beat us with batons. They put electricity to our ears and in sensitive areas. They also punched us in the face. They had totally stripped us of our clothes. After 17 or 18 days they let us go. Then they started their visits. They would come and break everything and abuse me and abuse my wife. They removed the house door and the officer said: this door will remain open, for I will come whenever I want.
They want to restrict my mobility. I am not allowed to be outside the house after sunset. What can I do? I have responsibilities. Do they want me to steal or deal in drugs?
They beat my wife while she is pregnant. I am afraid something might have happened to the baby. I am afraid to take her to the doctor to find out that the baby had died. I don’t even know if I can have any more children.
