Torture videos to be investigated?

I received the following press release from ACIJLP…


Public Prosecution Asks for Nasser Amin’s Testimony Concerning His Complaints against the Interior Minister
The South Cairo Prosecution on 23 November 2006 requested that lawyer Nasser Amin, Director of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession present himself at 10 am on Saturday, 25 November 2006 before the South Cairo Prosecution to give his testimony concerning the complaint he had filed against Egypt’s Interior Minister.
The mentioned complaint was filed regarding police officers subjecting citizens to torture in some police stations.
The complaint dates back to 17 November when Lawyer Nasser Amin filed a complaint to Egypt’s Prosecutor General calling for urgent and immediate action to put an end to impunity in torture crimes.
The mentioned complaint resulted from the monitoring of torture cases committed by policemen against citizens. One of the monitored incidents which took place at the Haram (Pyramids) police station was committed by an officer called Moustafa under the supervision of another officer called Hani where one officer photographs the other successively slapping a citizen on the face.


Click to watch video

Another incident involved sexual assault against a citizen in a police station. The citizen was thrown on the floor and stripped naked while he was handcuffed.



Click to watch video

One officer inserted what seemed like a wooden stick in the victims anus while the victim screemed: “Sorry, Pasha! Sorry, Pasha!” These are common phrases in Egyptian police stations.
The complaints was based on Article 64 of the Criminal Procedures Law which urges citizens who learn of a crime to inform public prosecution.
The complaint also pointed out that it is the responsibility of Egypt’s prosecutor general to take serious action to change Egypt’s image reflected in the accusation made by a number of international human rights organizations, as well as the United Nationas, that Egypt and Egyptian policemen systematically commit torutre during interrogations or otherwise.
It is the responsibility of the prosecutor general to pursue the perpetrators of torture crimes and take legal action against them in order to assure society and to prevent any public authority official from violating the Constitution and State laws, as well as ensure that they respect Egypt’s international obligations.
The complaint was accompanied by a CD containing the mentioned crimes.