CAIRO: Students who were allegedly assaulted by university security in recent weeks gave testimonials to the press at the headquarters of the Foundation of Freedom of Thought and Expression on Wednesday.
This was the second press conference organized by the foundation as part of its “Protecting the Students of Egypt” campaign.
“Security has become the one with the final word in universities and it’s not allowing the students to practice their freedom of expression,” says Emad Mubarak, the executive director of the foundation.
Somaya Ashraf, a student at Al-Azhar University in Zagaziq whose beating by an officer at the gates of her university was captured on video and sparked nationwide demonstrations, spoke of her ordeal.
According to Ashraf, the officer refused to let her and other girls on campus even though they had their identification cards. When they asked why they weren’t allowed in, the officer said, “Because I don’t feel like it,” and when they refused to leave he opened the water hose on them to force them to.
Ashraf said that the officer grabbed her by her veil when she attempted to avoid the water, and when she pushed his hands off, he started to kick her in the gut. Other girls claimed that other security officers beat them too.
The video of the incident which was posted online shows as Ashraf lied in the ambulance screaming in pain for almost 10 minutes and the medics refused to take her to the hospital because the head of security forbade them.
Mubarak said that the campaign is working on a letter for the Minister of Health and the chief of the Doctors’ Syndicate about the incident.
“Does the Ministry of Health take its orders from the Ministry of Interior now?” asked Mubarak.
Ashraf added that she was forced to leave the hospital that same night for security reasons and that the girl who testified with her at the police station was assaulted and threatened.
“What am I going to do if the people who are supposed to be responsible for my wellbeing in college and in the hospital are not honest?” Ashraf asked.
Ashraf told Daily News Egypt that the incident is not a personal case anymore and that it became a matter of public opinion and that she hopes that such events will keep it from happening again.
“As students, all we want is to learn with dignity, to go to a respectable college, not to one that is run by security,” said Ashraf.
A representative from the office of the president of Zagazig University told Daily News Egypt that the university is nonviolent and that no students were assaulted. He added that the students spread these rumors during the elections period for political reasons.
Students from Ain Shams University from the April 6 Youth Movement also talked about incidents of assaults that they were subjected to.
Magdy Abdel Rahman said that members of the Student Union and the university security guards raided an art gallery organized by the April 6 Movement and destroyed the paintings.
Abdel Rahman added that when he tried to save the paintings he was taken to the security office along with his colleague Ahmed Samir where they were beaten and insulted by police officers.
“We were detained in the security office on campus for five hours,” said Abdel Rahman, “It’s as if the campus was transformed into a police station.”
Abdel Rahman added that three other April 6 students, Manar Shokry, Faten Eid and Mohamed Ayman, were followed by police forces after they left the university into the metro and were detained and searched there for 15 minutes and that an officer inflicted burns on another student’s body, Ahmed Mohamed Salama, with his cigarettes.
Moataz Mohamed, another student at Ain Shams University says that he was detained twice for his political activities on campus.
Mohamed said that he was detained by a police colonel in the security office on campus for giving out unauthorized flyers. He says that the colonel threatened him and forbade him from using his phone “as if I was in a police station.”
Mohamed said that he was detained for the second time the same day the art gallery was raided, on charges of assault on Student Union members.
He said that he was taken to the prosecutors’ office handcuffed and was put in jail for the rest of the day.
The foundation released a statement documenting similar incidents of assault and detention in Cairo, Ain Shams, Zagazig, Fayoum andTanta Universities.
Maged El Deeb, president of Ain Shams University, told Daily News Egypt that he had never heard of such incidents at Ain Shams University.
He said that any student who violates the rules is brought to the dean through the civilian security and that the police officers are there only to protect the facilities and have no direct contact with the students.
“My door is open for all students, if anyone has a grievance they can come to me,” said El Deeb, “We allow all currents of thought on campus but we are only against partisan activities,” he added.
El Deeb added that the students are the ones who assaulted the civilian security officers when they tried to take down their art gallery because they hadn’t submitted the necessary request to the administration.
Samy Abdel Azeem, the media consultant for the president of Cairo University and the dean of the mass communications department, told Daily News Egypt that no students were assaulted at Cairo University.
“We are a liberal university, we have no taboos and we hold meetings with the students to discuss the society,” said Abdel Azeem.
Abdel Azeem denied the students’ allegations that the police control the university and the students’ activities.
“We don’t have officers on campus or at the doors and the cultural activities of the students are subject to the dean’s approval, the security has no opinion in this matter,” added Abdel Azeem.
Abdel Azeem said that the incidents of assault are fabricated by students with “certain political orientations.”
The foundation announced that it will release periodic reports documenting any assaults that students are subjected to and that it will announce every month the university with the most violations.
Somaya Ashraf recounts her ordeal at the conference.
