posted
CAIRO (AFP) - A blogger released after weeks behind bars over deadly protests at Egypt's biggest textile plant for higher pay and controls on prices, said Monday he and his fellow detainees suffered weeks of "torture".
"We were subjected to electric shocks, to beatings and there was no food and or drink for the first few days," blogger Karim el-Beheiri told AFP a day after his release. "We went through weeks of torture and humiliation."
Beheiri, Tarek Amin and Kamal al-Fayoumy, three worker activists, were arrested on April 6 at the Misr Spinning and Weaving company in the Nile Delta industrial city of Mahalla after riots which left three people dead and hundreds detained.
An interior ministry official confirmed the three had been released but denied they had been mistreated.
"These are false accusations," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Everything took place within a framework of human rights."
They were accused of "inciting unrest, damage to property and demonstrating," a security official told AFP, adding that of the hundreds detained in connection with the Mahalla riots, eight remain in custody.
The three were fired from their jobs after their arrest, said Beheiri, whose detention was condemned by international human rights watchdogs.
"Many of us had never seen the inside of a prison before," Beheiri said, describing his first weeks at Borg al-Arab prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria sharing a small cell with 25 people as "terrifying."
"We had bread thrown at us. They would dip their hands in our food before throwing it at us," said Beheiri who, with the others, mounted two hunger strikes while in detention.
On April 16, the prosecution ordered the release of several detainees including Beheiri, Fayoumy and Amin, but the three remained behind bars until Sunday.
Beheiri said that during interrogations at state security headquarters in various Egyptian cities, questioning focused mainly on his blog and his connections to other bloggers.
"It's the new fashion," he said of a large-scale crackdown against Egypt's cyber dissidents.
He said the first thing he wanted to do when he got home after the release was to blog the events.
"But I couldn't remember my own password. It was so frustrating," he said.
Symbolic of their rise to power, Egyptian police have arrested several political bloggers in recent months.
But despite Egypt's Internet explosion, the cyber realm remains largely the preserve of the young and educated in a country where 40 percent of the population of 80 million people cannot read.
Nevertheless, Egypt's bloggers, who rarely conceal their real identity, have taken on the role of bridging the gap between civil society's desire for democracy and workers' demands for better pay and working conditions.
In a country where there is little access to live and independent Egyptian reporting, blogs and "real time" social networking sites like Twitter provide regular but unverified updates on events, such as elections and protests.
In recent months, Egypt has seen a number of strikes and protests against low salaries and price rises that have been one of the most serious challenges to the regime of veteran President Hosni Mubarak.
quote:"These are false accusations," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Everything took place within a framework of human rights."
Are these morons stupid enough to think anyone even believes them anymore? I posted something in this section a few days ago about the emergency law, the Egy govt spokesman (butros butros' nephew) sat there straight faced saying how the emergency law was for the benefit of the Egyptian people. They actually must think people really still listen to one word or believe anything they say anymore. Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I know but I thought this deserved it's own thread. I found it ironic that everyone assumed they were being tortured and still the Egyptian police have the courage to insist they were treated humanely. IMO these people who are standing up to the government and forming these blogs and strikes are very brave people. It's such a shame what is allowed to happen to them and how people can deny it with a straight face. Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I wonder what are the students/intelectuals doing about these. Btw Sumkers, i like your new quote Posts: 52 | From: Cairo | Registered: Feb 2008
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It's good that they can tell us themselves what happened to them while in confinement. And I am happy that's it's over for them.
Seriously I am very glad about that outcome and that they were released after two months; some others who were arrested the same day are still imprisonent and many many more sitting in Egyptian jails since more months and years without being charged.
I guess an Egyptian could call himself 'lucky' if making it out of jail alive although the torture and emotional scars will never heal. Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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I think the more protests and strikes that happen the more media coverage, and the more media coverage the less the Egy Govt are able to deny reports of things. It also contradicts the need for the emergency law. IF the government wants to insist that the Emergency Law is (again) in place to protect the 'people' (aww aren't they thoughtful? ) then why all of the dissent? Why did the worst of the bombings in Egypt happen under the law? Why are you quieting the voices of the people you claim to want to protect if it really isn't to keep yourselves in power under your facade of a democracy? That's my take~
Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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The Egyptian Goverment doesn't give a crap what other countries or human rights organizations have to say about their national stuff going on inside their country - infact they harshly reject any critism.
I wouldn't be surprised if the emergency law will be extended again in summer of 2010 or they will finally pass the new anti-terror legislation.
" The government's image locally and internationally is now the worst ever, so this might be a reason why they postponed the law, which is expected to be shocking domestically and internationally," Hassan said. "It is expected to be the worst anti-terror act in the world. Most human rights advocates expect the anti-terror act legislation to be a duplication of the emergency law."
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It certainly seems that they don't care, and why should they? They're getting the backing and cash from America even who are telling them, 'whatever, we don't care, just keep your position the same'. It's a complete sell-out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdWS74alCnc&feature=relatedPosts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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But you see even the States were critizing the Egyptian Goverment several times in the past about this aforementioned issue (the American Governement quickly released a statement that they were disappointed shortly after news of an extension of the emergency law broke out few days ago)
and other things and were told by the Egyptians not to interfere in their national politics.
The US can't be too tough on them, they have to deal very sensitive here as they need Egypt's strong influence on other Arab countries.
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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It's mostly lip service though, just going through the motions of critizing but not really putting any pressure on them to do anything.
Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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and other things and were told by the Egyptians not to interfere in their national politics.
You do mean told by Egyptian government, right, not the people? These are the same people taking money (2 billion this year?) smiling the entire time and assuring investors that Egypt was great to invest in because there is almost no terrorism threat anymore. YET they need the emergency law still intact because there is 'lots of terrorism' going on. They're such hypocritical idiots~
Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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