CAIRO: When 26-year-old Yasser Hussein spoke with journalists about the abuse he was subjected to at the Sayyeda Zeinab police station, most commented that he was lucky he only got a few slaps on the face.
“All I know is that I don’t want to be an Egyptian. I would rather belong to any other country and the thing that preoccupies me most is getting out of Egypt, Hussein, who is unemployed, told Daily News Egypt.
On Aug. 25 Hussein and a friend were visiting a sick neighbor at 2 pm in Sayyeda Zeinab, when three investigators stopped them as they crossed the street. Hussein showed one of them his ID, but his friend ran off.
“The two investigators that ran after him and brought him back after beating him badly, Hussein said.
Hussein and his friend were then taken to the police station and searched. When their records were checked and found clean, they were sent to the chief officer.
“One of the investigators said that we both ran away, so their chief instructed him to ‘wake us up’ so that we wouldn’t run again. Then, he went into a slapping frenzy. At the end, he said that if he saw me in Sayyeda district again, he would show no mercy, Hussein said. Then they left the police station.
Hussein later returned to the police station with a friend who is a human rights activist to order file a complaint against the abuse he suffered. He was ordered to sign a statement promising to appear before the police station’s chief officer the next morning. The next day, however, Hussein was not allowed to meet him because “he was busy.
“It felt as if I had no dignity, as if I had no right to even exist in this country, Hussein said.
Hussein fears that the investigator who beat him and his friend may take revenge by framing them. “They can do anything, plant drugs or weapons on us, and I would end up in prison for years. This is everyday police work for them, said Hussein.
With the aid of the Legal Support Association, Hussein’s case will be submitted to the public prosecutor’s office this morning by attorney Mohamed Bayoumi.
“Although Hussein’s physical injuries might not amount to much, the emotional and psychological pain he suffered will continue for a very long time, Bayoumi told Daily News Egypt.
From a legal standpoint, Bayoumi believes that Hussein’s chance of getting a ruling in his favor will be based on the testimony of his friend who witnessed the abuse. After the public prosecutor examines the case, it will then be transferred to a specialized prosecution office to question witnesses and interrogate the police officers involved. It could take up to four years before a ruling is passed.
“Although some officers do get rulings against them, they are usually not implemented and this is the real problem, Bayoumi said. The reason torture is so widespread is that the perpetrators are seldom punished, he explained, and the legal proceedings go on for a long time.
“I think that the dynamics of torture have changed in Egypt. In the past, it was officers who usually exercised it, but today, we are starting to see the lower ranks of the police force taking part, Bayoumi said.
The emergence of more independent news outlets eager to highlight the issue has brought torture cases to the forefront of public debate.
“This week alone we have seen newspapers publish a number of torture cases in the city of Mansoura, where torture victims have died and officers are being detained. This shows that there is progress being made in a previously impervious issue, Bayoumi said.
Bayoumi hopes that in the future, security personnel can undergo psychological examinations. “The head of investigations in Mansoura kicked the late torture victim Nasr Abdullah in the chest and accused him of faking it while the man was dying – we are clearly looking at people who are psychologically troubled. This sort of behavior is indicative of mental illness, Bayoumi said.
