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Testimoney (5) How the police bluffed the refugees
Since Thursday evening military and police forces gathered in big numbers around the place. Then there was a long line of private cars. However, those inside those cares behaved in a military fashion. We asked: is all this because of us, so that we might spare the children and the elderly? They said: No. we are here because there will be a demonstration of the Moslem brotherhood and we are here to disburse them. A little time later 50 men, in robes and many of them bearded, appeared in front of the mosque and remained there for an hour. Nothing was happening. We asked the police again. They said they plan a demo and we are here to protect you so that you do not get involved in their demo. This game lasted for about an hour, from 10 until 11 p.m.
At 11 or 12 the police surrounded the whole camp. After 5 minutes they brought the busses and parked them in front of us. One of the officials said you have 5 minutes to empty the camp and enter into the busses or else we shall use violence. One of the negotiating committee said: we are ready to come out of the camp but will not enter into the busses except in the presence of somebody from UNHCR.
The police refused.
They started the water cannons. First hot then very cold water. The water was very strong. It was first pointing upwards then directly at us.. the water was strange.. as if it had some chemicals in them.. we had not planned to resist.. people were eating and we have a tape of the hour of the attack.. when they started to shoot us with those water cannons we did not reply with glass as they say. This is not true.
Those dressed in civil clothes went up into the building on top of the bank and the mosque and threw beer and coca cola bottles at us and the glass broke on top of our heads. In the camp it was forbidden to use glass. Anybody who broke the rules was punished. Nobody drunk was allowed into the camp. Also people were searched before they returned to the camp. Even those who drink buy their booze in plastic bags. We cannot afford Stella beer. If we had the money we would rather buy food.
The water stopped for a while. We covered the children and babies with blankets. There were six rows of police.
They attacked us from all sides. We fell on top of each other like in a trop. We were three thousand in a very small area and the beating and kicking came from all sides, brutally and viciously. Suddenly you would find someone drop next to you, not moving, not speaking. We would hear a dull sound and then somebody would fall. I don’t know what they used in beating us, but the beating paralyzed us. One would receive a blow and be unable to move or speak. Then five or six police would come and drag him or her under punches and kicks towards the bus.
We reached the camp. It was already morning. We left the bus. There were two lines of antiriot police. We entered the camp. Only tents. Surrounding the camp was a wall and inside there are wards covered with cloth. They divided us into two groups. There was not enough space for everybody. We slept on the floor without any blankets or covers.
They brought us breakfast and recorded our names. They gave simple first aid and some were transferred in an ambulance. After the food they called our names. Whoever had an ID or a card was put on a bus. It was prohibited that we return to the camp to fetch our clothes, or documents. We rode the bus, which kept driving around. They dropped us as individuals or in small groups in streets we never knew before. We had no shoes on. We had no money.”
Testimoney (4) I was there and saw everything
Dear Friends As you know I have been working with and for the Sudanese refugees living in Cairo. I was involved with the demonstration of 3,000 refugees, which has been taking place outside of UNHCR office in a makeshift camp where mostly women and children has been staying day and night for the past 3 months. They were demanding their rights from the UNHCR and asking for better treatment from the Egyptian government… I have to inform you of what happened at the camp site on Thursday night…I was there and saw everything….It was unbelievable….I have never witnessed anything like this before…we have 60 Sudanese refugees confirmed dead, …hundreds injured….everyone who were staying at the camp site, including women and children have been taken into prisons, around 3,000 refugees….so far they do not allow anyone into the prisons and I am very much concerned about their conditions…. The refugees called me around 11 at night and told me to go to the camp site right away….thousands of soldiers blocked all area, they started at 9pm…no one out no one in……..police wouldn’t let anyone in….I said I am from Canada and they did let me in….I went to the site area…they blocked it with thousands of soldiers….I was standing at the park facing the site….as close I can get….first they sprayed them with water canons….3 -4 times in that freezing night….I started screaming at officers to stop this….there are children….you will kill them….they laughed at me….than I saw from the left side thousands of soldiers getting ready to go in to the camp site….they went in….all you could see was black uniforms, their arms coming down and up….had sticks…they beat everyone, children, women…. everyone…. the Sudanese refugees did not have any weapons and they did not fight….then one by one, pulling, pushing, kicking, forced people into buses…..i was standing right there…..they are taking them one by one, right in front of my eyes…..women, children blood flowing from their heads….i was screaming, crying, trying to stop them….they treated them like animals….i saw 2 dead bodies lying on the ground….i went and touched them…to see if they were alive…no…i cannot describe you what i have seen….it was inhuman….it was unbelievable….they took everyone from the site…last person dragged around 6 am…..they had wet clothes…no shoes….most didn’t even have some of their clothes on….all their belongings left behind….i was shaking……..they have been taken to 7 different prisons….they distributed them into 7 different prisons…3 hospitals….we went to the hospitals to see the injured and they told us there were no Sudanese refugees there…only showed us 3 bodies……I received info from one Sudanese at one of the military recruitment center (one of the prisons they are being kept) that they are being treated badly….still have their wet clothes on….the injured has not been taken care of…no food so far….no toilet facilities….and the worst of all we hear they will be deported back to Sudan. I am very concerned….because in front of the media the authorities treated them so bad, I don’t know what they are doing to them in behind closed doors…children, women all in prisons….UNHCR is the one who asked the government of Egypt to end the protest. I am sure they know how the Egyptian police is here and I am sure they knew it wouldn’t be a peaceful affair. I don’t know if UNHCR is going to do anything for the Sudanese refugees that are in prison…Please do what you can to get this news out…or anything we can do to help them… Do any of you have any contacts with Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch or any other organization? Our aim is to get everyone out of prisons and to prevent the Egyptian government to deport them back to Sudan
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