Abdallah Wageeh, a member of the Misr Al-Qawia (Strong Egypt) Party’s high board, accused security forces of torturing his brother Mohamed while in detention.
Mohamed was reportedly arrested from an advertising agency he runs with his brother on 3 March. Wageeh said security forces raided the agency and arrested his brother alongside all those who were present inside the agency at the time, including one client.
Mohamed was referred to prosecution on Monday. Wageeh said he filed an official request to the prosecutor carrying out the investigation calling for referring his brother to the Forensics Authority to examine his health condition. So far, the request has not been met, Wageeh said, adding that the prosecutor who carried out the investigation told him it was not in his capacity to refer his brother to the Forensics Authority.
Wageeh said he had not been able to disclose the location of his brother’s detention for at least 10 days since his arrest. Abdel Rahman Ali, member of Misr Al-Qawia Party’s legal committee, said Mohamed was held at the Boulak Al-Dakrour Police Station for around five days before being transferred to a Central Security Forces (CSF) camp, where he allegedly remains in custody.
Ministry of Interior Spokesman Hany Abdel Latif meanwhile denied that any detainees are held at CSF camps, adding that such an “accusation is unfounded”.
Wageeh, who was able to visit his brother at the CSF camp, claimed Mohamed was suffering from injuries in his ribs and arm, as well as cuts in his face. He also claimed his brother was electrocuted, which affected his nervous system. He added that security forces referred Mohamed to Tora Prison; however, the prison allegedly refused to take him in due to the injuries he sustained, sending him back to the CSF camp.
Abdel Latif said he had no knowledge regarding the case, adding that it is up to the prosecution to look into Mohamed’s alleged torture and reach a decision accordingly. He called on Wageeh to report his brother’s case to the prosecutor general.
Ahmed Al-Rakeeb, the prosecutor general’s spokesman, could not be reached for comment.
Wageeh said his brother was accused of joining a terrorist organisation, among other charges. His investigation is scheduled to resume on Tuesday.
Several detainees among the 1,079 protesters arrested during demonstrations marking the third anniversary of the revolution have complained of being subjected to torture during their detention. Their detention conditions have been condemned by several human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and several other domestic organisations. The Ministry of Interior, however, denied torture allegations reported by those who had been preventively detained.
