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report
World Organisation Against Torture
Case postale 21- 8, rue du Vieux Billard
CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland
Cases of Torture from 2001-2002
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) has followed up on the practice of torture and ill treatment of Egyptian citizens by police officers and soldiers and urges authorities to cease using it altogether.
In addition, it calls on the Ministry of the Interior to issue severe admonitions to law enforcement such that their behavior conforms to the Egyptian constitution and other laws. EOHR also urges authorities to vigorously try all those accused.
The following are some cases of torture in which citizens died. They are divided into the following sections:
Cases where perpetrators received court rulings;
Cases clouded by doubt;
Cases that were filed but have yet to receive court rulings;
Cases documented by forensic physicians;
Cases documented in medical reports;
More cases
Cases Where Perpetrators Received Court Rulings
Medhat Gaber Tadrus
Imbaba Police Station
On April 23 and 24, 2001, The Major Sayed Said El Baghdad, head of the investigation unit and Captain Ihab Nageeb Nagi, assistant officer in the investigation unit, tortured and killed Mr. Tadrus to coerce a confession of robbery from him. Forensic reports confirm Mr. Tadrus was electrocuted all over his body, ultimately leading to his death. The criminal suit that ensued as a result of his wrongful death was referred to the North Giza court with the two aforementioned officers as defendants on May 12, 2002. Hearings took place on July 6, 2002 and on October 8, 2002, the court issued its verdict: two years of hard labour for each.
Nader Fathi El Sayed
Nasr City Police Station One
On April 29, 2001 while in custody, Mr. Sayed's wife, Shaima'a Abdel Hamid, was caught putting narcotics in her husband's food.
Upon finding out that she had been put in a women's prison Mr. Seyed became extremely agitated; his outrage was exacerbated after being teased and harassed by several of the officers there.
Eventually he was placed in a room alone where officers later came to undress him and order him to stand on a pole of bricks inside the room. After they left he dressed himself once again.
After returning to the room and finding him in violation of their orders, the officers found a blunt object (the arm of a spoon) with which to injure him. Mr. Sayed accused the officers of flirting with his wife and soon found himself tied up and pushed onto the pile of bricks where he was severely beaten. The defendant in the case (officer Ahmed Saber Aly) stabbed Mr. Sayed and dragged him out of the police station while simultaneously beating him.
Forensic reports documented the following:
Bruises on his face, forehead, neck, chest, left shoulder and fresh bruises;
Fresh cuts on the back of his left leg, some of which were slight as they did not reach his muscle;
Fresh and deep-reaching cuts on his left hand, most of which reached the fat beneath his skin. They were inflicted with an instrument other than the spoon;
Deep cuts in his leg's veins, which probably did not result from the use of the spoon but were caused by some other object with a sharp edge and pointed corner;
Cause of death resulted from the deep cut in his left leg (which cut through a vein) leading to excessive bleeding, leading to circulatory and respiratory failures
Defendant Ahmed Saber Mohammad Aly Sayyed was accused of the following:
Stabbing the victim with a pocketknife in his left leg, causing his excessive bleeding and death. While he may not have had the specific intent of killing him, his actions did lead to his death. He possessed the knife in the absence of personal and professional necessity. The case was registered under number 687/2001 and was sent to court where many sessions took place. On February 16, 2002 the court issued its verdict for Mr. Sayyed. He received seven years of hard labour and was responsible for reimbursing the court expenses. Also, the court referred the case to the primary court of North Cairo without expenses.
Sayed Khaifa Essa
Nasr City Police Station Two
The first defendant (officer Hazem Maher El Derbi) and others (Ashraf Guhar, Mahmoud Abou Khalifa and Gamal Fouad) as well as other unknown security guards tortured and murdered Mr. Essa while trying to coerce a car robbery confession from him.
Forensic reports indicated the presence of the following:
Genital bruises incurred by electric shock;
Head and neck injuries caused by an instrument with a rough surface;
Leg and arm injuries which were altered due to the passage of time. At the time they were examined they appeared to be excessively swollen and were probably caused by contact with a solid instrument. Because of their length and width of the bruises they were thought to be inflicted by a whip, stick or another similar instrument. Because of the different stages the injuries appeared to be in at the time of death, doctors inferred that there was a continuous period in which the torture was repeatedly inflicted. His skull was infected, causing widespread inflammation;
He had lost 25 cm x 20 cm of skin on his head as a result of his injuries
The appearance of the bruises and other injuries is consistent with the time line given by the prosecution and by Mostafa Helmy Abdel Samie. Those involved in his torture were referred to the North Nasr City criminal court which issued its ruling on August 8, 2002. Both Hazem Derbi and Ashraf Goher were imprisoned for three years. Mahmoud Abou Khalifa was acquitted.
Cases Clouded by Doubt
EOHR has received complaints regarding the atrocious conditions in prisons
across Egypt. Some of those complaints include the following:
Mohammad Saad Osman
Leman Tora Prison
He was accused in the case of El Gehed Organization in 1981 and received a prison sentence of five years. He was also accused in the case of El Gehed El Kobra and was detained several times after that. In addition, he was also accused in another case in 1993 and received 5 years in prison as a result. He was diagnosed with Leukemia while in prison and died as a result in January 2001.
Adel Mohammad
El Gharbaniat Prison
While doing his prison time, he died suddenly. The corpse was transferred to the morgue under the control of the public prosecutor's office.
Tarek Masoud El Ashkar
Leman Wadi el Natroun Prison
Initially arrested on May 26, 2001 in Agga city in Dakahlia and held in police custody because of a decree of the Ministry of the Interior handed down on May 26, 2001, Mr. Ashkar wad transferred to Leman Wadi El Natroun prison on June 6, 2001. On June 14, 2001, he died in prison without clear reason. The forensic report issued by Dr. Awad Shafek indicated that a heart attack, as well as a complete cessation of his nervous and skeletal functions caused his death. The family of the deceased complained to the El Sadaat city prosecutor's office to investigate his death. The family claimed that Ministry of the Interior was responsible for his death as he had been in good health previously. The prosecutor asked the forensic doctor to examine his corpse and issue a report.
Ahmed Hussein El Salamouni
Abou Saabal Prison
An officer with the armed forces, Mr. Salamouni was detained in 1995 and became ill with many diseases. Hospitalized twice, prison administration did nothing for his health until he died in November, 2001.
Cases That Were Filed But Have Yet To Receive Court Rulings
Ahmed Mahmoud Tamam
El Omraneya Police Station
On July 19, 1999, Mr. Tama argued with one of his neighbors who then complained to the police. He was told by detectives and others to capitulate or else his brother would be arrested. According to his brother's testimony, the officers hit and kicked Mr. Tamam and used a gun (which was used to hit his head) as well. The assault took roughly fifteen minutes. The victim's brother indicated to EOHR that he saw his brother on July 19, 1999 in the police station and listened to how he was beaten by the police there. Mr. Tamam said he was tied up and hit and kicked all over his body. He was later presented to prosecutors who released him with a guarantee to return home. The victim did not ask to be transferred to the forensic medicine department because he was afraid of being retaliated against. Shortly thereafter on July 21, 1999 he died. One day later his family went to Om El Masreien hospital to examine his corpse and found the following:
Bruises along his forehead;
Bleeding from his mouth;
Marks along his hands;
Red marks along his chest
The victim's inmate told his brother of the torture that occurred. His account
detailed many of the same details. He was tied up, beaten on his hands and back repeatedly and beaten on the head with an iron part of a car that, of course, lead to several bruises along his forehead and other parts of his body. The inmate also confirmed that he was beaten until he bled excessively from his mouth and fainted.
Prosecutors referred the head of the investigation unit at El Omraneya police station, Major Arafa Hamza Mansour Hassan, to the Giza criminal court (case number 97379 of 2002). The prosecution accused him of intentionally beating the victim with solid tools and electrocuting him with a high voltage source thereby killing him. He was also charged under Article 236 of the Penal Code and was set to have a hearing on October 13, 2002.
Ahmed Taha Mohammad Yousef
El Waily Police Station
On February 23, 2002, the second day of the religious feast of Bayrem, the victim was arrested because his brother, who was being sought, could not be found. They did this to force the brother to turn himself in. He was severely harassed and beaten. The following happened to him:
He had his hands tied backward with iron handcuffs;
He was hit and kicked all over his body;
He was beaten with an iron cuff on his chest, the back of his head, his chin and his neck
Following the beating, he lost consciousness and then died. He was sent to a
hospital to receive treatment but was refused as he was already dead. Nevertheless the hospital agreed to write a report detailing his arrival (alive) where he came to receive treatment for bruises and that he died later as a result of acute circulatory failure.
The next day (February 24, 2002) in the morning his body was buried at approximately eight in the morning. There was a substantial police presence at the funeral that prevented the family praying for him in his hometown mosque and burying him in the family burial place in Salah Salem.
An eyewitness to the beating who was also tied up with the victim confessed that indeed the victim was beaten with an iron cuff all over his body and that when he asked for a glass of water he was denied. Shortly thereafter according to the victim's inmate, he died.
The case was referred to the Cairo Criminal Court on July 11, 2002.
Cases Documented By Forensic Physicians
Sabah Abd El Hamid Mohamed
El Wayli Police Station
On January 16, 2001, when Sabah was returning from work as a coiffeur, she was surprised to find a detective (Ahmed Dawood) from the Helwan police station awaiting her. She was asked to go with him to meet the head of the investigation unit Khaled Ghareeb to discuss a matter with him. Accompanied by her mother and sister, she went but was asked to be alone with Mr. Ghareeb who insisted she knew of a man named "Ramadan." When she denied it she was assaulted in the following way:
She was ordered to take off her shoes and was beaten on her feet with a "falaka" which led to a swelling of her leg, upon which hot water was poured. She was then ordered to jump on her wounded legs.
Mr. Ghareeb detained her three days pending investigation from January 16,
2001 to January 18, 2001. On that day at approximately 1:30 in the morning she was ordered to put ointment crème on her injuries and was released. Sabah made several attempts to have her feet examined medically but failed. One doctor from El Demrdash hospital refused to treat her until she got a report from the police station detailing what happened. Police threatened her so as not to file a complaint. Later, she went to a private hospital and on January 20, 2001 she went to the prosecutor's office to file complain number 103 of 2001. She was then transferred to the El Waily prosecutor's office that then sent her to a forensic scientist to write her a report. Medical report number 246 of 2001 proved she was injured as she said. Subsequent to the issuance of the report, an investigation was opened with respect to her detention Her perpetrators, Mr. Khaled Abd El Baki Mohamad (a security officer), Mohamed Sayed Abd El Saher (a security officer) and Ahmed Mohamad were all interrogated.
Cases Documented In Medical Reports
Abd El Hamid Ramadan
Qalyob Police Station
On August 12, 1999 the victim, aged 34 and a member of the working class, was arrested on suspicion of being a drug dealer. He was detained pending police investigation until he received an acquittal from the Banha criminal court on March 1, 2000. However, he was not released for another eight days during which he was illegally detained.
On March 9, 2000 authorities discovered that he needed to serve a one-month prison sentence that he had received in 1999. His prison inmates confirmed that on March 10, 2000, the victim was summoned to the Qaloubeya Security Directorate an returned at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon to the investigation unit. His inmates were unpleasantly surprised to find him in poor health. He received no medical care and died the next day.
The doctor who examined his corpse said he died as a result of a fracture to his chest bones and that his breathing and heart had stopped functioning. The doctor added he had received bruises to his kidney and brain (which appeared to have experienced severe trauma and formed a blood clot). This testimony was documented in police report number 735 of 2000 in the administrative department of the Qaloub police station.
Mostafa Labeeb Hemdan
Shoubra Police Station
On July 3, 2002, 26 year old Mr. Hemdan died of torture. He spent three years in prison (case number 1576 of 1998). He was then transferred to the Shoubra police station where he was presented to the investigation unit. They discovered that he had received a three-year prison sentence in absentia in another case. He came before the Shoubra prosecution on June 23, 2002 in which he received a one-year prison sentence and a one hundred pound fine. He was detained illegally from June 23, 2002 (from the Shoubra police) until July 3, 2002. During this period his family visited him often and said they had not noticed him to be in poor health.
On July 3, 2002 at approximately 5 am, his family was informed (through their neighbors) that he was dead and was going to be transferred from the Shoubra police station to the Shoubra public hospital. Medical report number 140 of Mostafa issued by the hospital stated the following:
"The corpse of the aforementioned arrived in the hospital at 5 am accompanied by a group from the Soubra police station. He had abrasions on his hands and abdomen as well as on his face, back, abdomen and chest in addition to a slight wound on his back."
The medical report also stated that the corpse was to be transferred to a
morgue until it was transferred to the possession of the prosecution.
The public prosecutor in Shoubra noted in report number 2867 of 2002 the injuries the medical doctor had noted. Then he ordered the corpse to be transferred to the Zenhom morgue to examine it again and wrote down all injuries found on the victim, the reasons for his death and date of his death as well as the tools that were probably used in killing him to decide if there was foul play.
The victim's family complained to the prosecutor asking him to investigate the matter further. The Shoubra prosecution of accidents is now carrying out an investigation into the death of Mr.Hemdan who died at the Shoubra police station on July 3, 2002.
More Cases
In Police Stations
Mohamed Samir Aboul Wafa
Hadaek El Kobba Police Station
On October 15, 2000 at approximately 7 am, one police officer from the aforementioned station arrived to the victim's home and arrested him because one of his former enemies was a police security man. Police decided to arrest him and imprison him at Wady Natroun prison but an appeal by the victim's father got him released on January 8, 2001 and Mr. Wafa was moved from prison back to the police station.
On January 13, 2001 his family received news of his death at the police station. The father describes here the events that transpired on January 13, 2001:
"A person arrived at our place and told us that Mohamed arrived to the Hadaek El Kobba police station and that he died and was lying on the corridor of the state security investigations office. We went to the police station and found Mohamed lying in the corridor as we were told and he was wearing white trousers only and the signs of lots of beating were all over his arms, neck and chest and also signs of electric shocks were there, too. Around the shoulders and feet there were marks of rope and during this I called for a forensic doctor who examined the body, which lost blood from the nose, ears and mouth, and all this was written down in the interrogation.
The prosecutor asked the police security man Hamdy and the police officer Mahmoud Farrag and the head of the state security investigation of the police station of Hadaek El Kobba and they all decided that Mohamed came to the police station tired and suffering from pains in his heart. The prosecutor wrote down the bruises found on the body and they were put in the report number 399/2001 administrative Hadaek El Kobba."
The body was moved to Zeinhom morgue, where samples were taken for analysis in order to find out the reason for his death. The family complained of the officers within the state security investigations office of torturing Mr. Wafa until he died.
Mosaad Ahmed El Sayyed Abou Seif
Shoubra El Khema Police Station Two
On March 27, 2001 at approximately 7:30 am while having breakfast with his mother and others, an officer raided his home shot him three times. One bullet hit his left eye, another hit between his eyebrows, and the last hit his chest ultimately killing him. One hour later a police car came to the home to take his body which they wrapped in a blanket. The mother indicated in her testimony that the officer raided her house with two other detectives, shot her son and then buried him.
Hesham Ahmed Abdel Ghany
Shoubra Kheit Police Station
On December 7, 2001 the victim was arrested by two detectives who took him to the station and ordered him to meet with the head of state security investigations. Approximately two hours later he was taken to a hospital where he died shortly thereafter.
His family and relatives went to the station to inquire about what happened but were told that he was sick and sent to the hospital. Minutes later they gathered in front of the hospital door. When one of them was allowed to see his body, he informed the rest of what he saw. The relatives gathered in front of the police station and began throwing stones but were kept under control by security. No one was arrested or hurt during the incident.
The relative's account of the victim notes long marks on his back and shoulders and abrasions on his face and stomach. Also, he had bruises on his body due to being beaten by hand and with wooden sticks. Lastly, he had injuries along his arms because of being tied up; he also had cuts.
El Waad Case:
The first session of the Supreme Military Court in Cairo for case number 24 of 2001 (in Military Criminal Court) took place on December 3, 2001. Prosecutors referred this case on November 14, 2001 to military court.
It is widely known as the "El Waad" case, in which 94 persons were accused of establishing and managing illegal groups whose aim was to suspend the Constitution and other laws as well as preventing government institutions and other public authorities from going about their duties. They were also charged with violating personal freedoms of citizens and other public rights guaranteed by the Constitution as well as breaking national unity and disturbing the social peace. Furthermore, they were accused of using terrorism as a mean of achieving their goals. Lastly, they were accused of being in illegal possession of bombs, ammunition and other weapons with the intent to harm the public. Six of the defendants were tried in absentia because they fled. Fifty-one were imprisoned and forty-three were acquitted.
Nashaat Ahmed Mohamed
The victim indicated in his testimony before prosecutors that on May 23, 2001 he was tortured all over his body and in particular his genital area for approximately five hours. His hands and legs were bound behind him with iron handcuffs. He was hanged on the edge of a door by a cover in which there was a hole and was electrocuted. (This incident of torture was documented in volume one, page 47 of a police report dated August 22, 2001.)
Khaled Mahmoud Mohamed
He said in testimony before prosecutors that he was tortured while being detained by state security investigators. He said his genital organ, abdomen, legs and area near his eyes were all electrocuted for approximately four hours. Then he was hanged on a door and had his hands bound by a woolen cloth.
Hazem Mohamed Ali El Zuheri
In his testimony before prosecutors he said he was tortured while being detained by state security investigators by having his feet and genital organ electrocuted. He also said he had his teeth beaten. Such torture was also documented in police report volume three, pages 44 and 45 dated September 12, 2001.
Waleed Seef Abd El Rahman Mahmad
In his testimony before prosecutors he indicated he was tortured by state security investigators as well. He was electrocuted all over his body including his head and had cigarettes placed on his body to burn him. He was transferred to a forensic doctor. His torture was also documented in police report volume 4, page 18, dated September 26, 2001.
Hisham El Sayed Mohamed Metwaly
He too was ill treated (beaten) by state security investigators. He asked to be transferred to a forensic doctor on September 10, 2001. His incident of torture was documented in police report volume 4, page 30 dated September 8, 2001.
Mohamed Hesham Seif El Deen
He was tortured from the day of his arrest on for one month. He was electrocuted and asked to see a doctor.
Omr Abd El Aziz Khalefa:
Electricity passed into his entire body.
Omr Hagef Mahdi:
He was electrocuted on his sensitive organs. This incident of torture was documented on police report volume two, page 18, dated June 9, 2001.
Hesham Mahmoud Mohamed Diab
He was beaten with a thick stick on his back and had his eyes blindfolded. This incident of torture was documented in police report volume 2, page 37, dated August 22, 2001.
Nour El Deen El Sayed Abd El Salam
He was threatened by state security investigators so he changed his testimony.
Below are examples of a few of the defendants of El Waad Group who received medical report on their cases:
Mohamed Lotfy Ali Ali El Adel:
In his testimony before prosecutors he indicated he was tortured by state security investigators for ten days by having a solid, foreign object inserted into his anus and by having his genitals electrocuted. He also was beaten and kicked while his hands were bound and his eyes blindfolded. He asked to be examined by a doctor. His incidents of torture were documented in police report volume 2 page 27. Forensic report number 1172 of 2001 was written on his case indicating that too much time had passed to clearly identify the cause of his beatings which by that time had been treated.
Ahmed Mostafa Abd El Megeed
In his testimony before prosecutors he indicated he was tortured by state security investigators by having his feet and genital organ electrocuted. He was transferred to a forensic doctor on July 2, 2001 who issued report number 1197 of 2001 saying that because it had been too long since he was tortured the sources of his injuries were unclear and had been treated successfully anyway.
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