مركز النديم لتأهيل ضحايا العنف والتعذيب

On March 17th , 2011 , El-Shorouk newspaper published an interview with Major General Hamdy Badeen, military police commander. Badeen denied all torture allegations by the army or military police and denied that the Egyptian museum has turned into a slaughter house . Badeen innocently wondered from which gate the military police vehicles would enter to collect detainees. Badeen added that he knows 27 of the revolution youth who were arrested on March 6 when demonstrators tried to get through to SSI in Lazoghly.

Twelve human rights organizations under the umbrella of the Forum for Independent Egyptian Human Rights Organizations strongly condemn the bombings which took place on New Year's day targeting worshippers leaving Saints Church in Alexandria after New Year's church service. The bombings killed 22 and injured at least 97 others according to official figures. Until the writing of this press release no group has claimed responsibility for this crime.

Forum organizations denounce this terrible massacre which ushered in the new year for the Egyptian people, and urge for this crime to be an opportunity for the government to adopt a new policy in confronting violence and dealing with the sectarian issue. Such a policy must be based on principles of equality and non-discrimination among citizens on the basis of religion or belief.

The groups also strongly condemn the use of violence by security forces when confronting protestors in Alexandria and Cairo who wanted to peacefully express their rejection of the crime on New Year. Forum organizations are calling on the Public Prosecutor to quickly bring the perpetrators to justice, and that investigations into the crime include the negligence by security forces to preempt and prevent the crime. This is especially pertinent in light of threats which were received at the beginning of November 2010 against Egyptian churches.

Saturday’s events in Alexandria, Egypt are a worrying development consolidating the repressive approach adopted by the Ministry of Interior in dealing with peaceful protests. The Egyptian security used excessive force against peaceful protestors and youth activists who staged peaceful protests in Alexandria demanding the Ministry of Interior to end torture and other abuses and stop covering up for criminals and using false witnesses to enforce impunity.

Security forces physically assaulted a number of activists, among them Mohammed Tarek, who was beaten and dragged to a police truck where he was blindfolded and threatened with electroshocks. His personal belongings were confiscated and ultimately he was thrown on a deserted stretch of a highway. Some 30 activists were also arrested. They were beaten and stripped of their clothes in a degrading manner. After being held for nearly 12 hours, they were left barefooted and stranded in various unknown areas without their money, phones, and identification documents.

This assault on activists coincides with the trial of the two policemen who tortured and killed Khaled Said on 7 June 2010 at the entrance of a building next to an Internet cafe that Said frequented.

Like thousands of Egyptian young people Ahmed Doma, poet, blogger and media officer of the committee of prisoners of conscience dreamt of a life free of an emergency law, and security persecution of activists. On the 3^rd of May 2010 Doma responded with other young people to a call by several MPs and representatives of Egyptian political groups to participate in a demonstration from the Omar Makram mosque in down town Tahrir square to the People's Assembly to submit a petition concerning democratic change, drafted by a wide spectrum of political groups and trends.

As usual, the Egyptian ministry of interior responded in the one way it has adopted as a policy towards Egyptian citizens: violence, beating and cordoning the protesters. From the midst of that demonstration, which was violently prevented by the police from moving one step towards its planned destination, Doma was arrested, falsely accused of having alone aggressed two police officers, blocking the traffic and inciting the public!!! He was hastily tried, sentenced to six months in prison, which upon appeal, were reduced to three!

Although the arrest was clearly at a political event, the demonstration called for by MPs, and despite the numerous aggressions by the police against protesters, as documented in several legal complaints and blogs, including Doma himself, and despite a legal complaint filed by Doma against the two officers accusing them of aggressing him (case scheduled for the 2^nd of October 2010), Doma is currently doing his sentence at the high security criminal prison of Qatta, in a message sent by the police to Egyptian youth who dream of life of freedom.