Amnesty International Urges Egypt Government to Investigate Brutal Killing of Young Man,
June 11, 2010
Amnesty International is calling for an immediate, full and independent investigation into the brutal killing of a 28-year-old Egyptian man, Khaled Mohammed Said, while in the hands of Egyptian security forces in the city of Alexandria on Sunday, June 6.
Shocking pictures of Khaled Mohammed Said's body, whose face is almost unrecognizable from the beating he received, at the hands of the Egyptian police and in public according to reports, has been posted on the internet.
"The horrific photographs are shocking evidence of the abuses taking place in Egypt which are in stark contrast to the image of the country depicted today by Egyptian officials to members of the UN Human Rights Council and their reluctant recognition of some minor wrongdoings," said Amnesty International.
"These pictures are a rare, first-hand glimpse of the routine use of brutal force by the Egyptian security forces, who expect to operate in a climate of impunity, with no questions asked.
Although, the exact circumstances surrounding the killing are still being pieced together, what is known is that Khaled Mohammed Said was severely beaten by two plain-clothes police officers in an internet cafe. He was reportedly dragged out of the café and the beating continued until he died.
According to a lawyer from El-Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, Khaled Mohammed Said's relatives were informed of his death, but were prevented from seeing his body immediately. The police took them to Sidi Gaber police station, where they were told that Khaled Mohammed Said had swallowed a bag of narcotics when the police had approached him, and had died from an overdose.
The family filed a complaint with the prosecutor on Monday, June 7, but was surprised to find that the police had already filed a report claiming Khaled Mohammed Said had died from a drug overdose. The prosecutor has since ordered an autopsy and the investigation is continuing. Amnesty International calls for an investigation to be carried out in line with international standards, including those within the United Nations Principles on Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions.
Under the umbrella of Egypt's 29-year-old state of emergency, abuses by the security forces are routine and rarely punished, and those responsible have only been brought to justice on a very few occasions. The state of emergency was extended for another two years earlier this month, despite repeated calls from states and international human rights groups during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for it to be lifted as soon as possible.
"The Egyptian authorities must respond immediately to this brutal beating and killing in the most robust way. If they do not take action, it will yet again send a clear signal that these abuses may continue and guarantee the perpetrators get away with it," said Amnesty International. "The Egyptian authorities must reign in their security forces. The Egyptian authorities should know that the eyes of the world are increasingly on them, and the pictures online mean that they cannot avoid conducting a thorough investigation with another whitewash."
Shocking pictures of Khaled Mohammed Said's body, whose face is almost unrecognizable from the beating he received, at the hands of the Egyptian police and in public according to reports, has been posted on the internet.
"The horrific photographs are shocking evidence of the abuses taking place in Egypt which are in stark contrast to the image of the country depicted today by Egyptian officials to members of the UN Human Rights Council and their reluctant recognition of some minor wrongdoings," said Amnesty International.
"These pictures are a rare, first-hand glimpse of the routine use of brutal force by the Egyptian security forces, who expect to operate in a climate of impunity, with no questions asked.
Although, the exact circumstances surrounding the killing are still being pieced together, what is known is that Khaled Mohammed Said was severely beaten by two plain-clothes police officers in an internet cafe. He was reportedly dragged out of the café and the beating continued until he died.
According to a lawyer from El-Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, Khaled Mohammed Said's relatives were informed of his death, but were prevented from seeing his body immediately. The police took them to Sidi Gaber police station, where they were told that Khaled Mohammed Said had swallowed a bag of narcotics when the police had approached him, and had died from an overdose.
The family filed a complaint with the prosecutor on Monday, June 7, but was surprised to find that the police had already filed a report claiming Khaled Mohammed Said had died from a drug overdose. The prosecutor has since ordered an autopsy and the investigation is continuing. Amnesty International calls for an investigation to be carried out in line with international standards, including those within the United Nations Principles on Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions.
Under the umbrella of Egypt's 29-year-old state of emergency, abuses by the security forces are routine and rarely punished, and those responsible have only been brought to justice on a very few occasions. The state of emergency was extended for another two years earlier this month, despite repeated calls from states and international human rights groups during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for it to be lifted as soon as possible.
"The Egyptian authorities must respond immediately to this brutal beating and killing in the most robust way. If they do not take action, it will yet again send a clear signal that these abuses may continue and guarantee the perpetrators get away with it," said Amnesty International. "The Egyptian authorities must reign in their security forces. The Egyptian authorities should know that the eyes of the world are increasingly on them, and the pictures online mean that they cannot avoid conducting a thorough investigation with another whitewash."
مصـر: ينبغي التحقيق في مقتل شاب بصورة وحشية
على أيدي الشرطة
14 - يونيو 2010
14 تدعو منظمة العفو الدولية إلى إجراء تحقيق فوري وكامل ومستقل في حادثة القتل الوحشي للشاب المصري خالد محمد سعيد، البالغ من العمر 28 عاما، أثناء وجوده بين أيدي قوات الأمن المصرية في مدينة الأسكندرية يوم الأحد، الموافق 6 يونيو/حزيران.
وقد نُشرت على شبكة الإنترنت صور تبعث على الصدمة لجثة خالد محمد سعيد، الذي كان يتعذر التعرف على وجهه تقريباً من جراء الضرب المبرح الذي تعرض له علناً على أيدي الشرطة المصرية، بحسب ما ورد.
وقالت منظمة العفو الدولية: "إن الصور المروعة تمثل دليلاً مفجعاً على الانتهاكات التي تُرتكب في مصر، والتي تتناقض بشكل صارخ مع صورة التي يرسمها المسؤولون المصريون اليوم لبلادهم، ويقدمونها إلى الدول الأعضاء في مجلس حقوق الإنسان التابع للأمم المتحدة، ومع الاعتراف المتردد ببعض الأخطاء الصغرى."
"وتمثل هذه الصور لمحة نادرة وأصلية عن استخدام القوة الوحشية بشكل اعتيادي من قبل قوات الأمن المصرية، التي تتوقع العمل في مناخ الإفلات من العقاب ودون مساءلة.
ومع أن الظروف المحيطة بحادثة القتل بالضبط لا تزال قيد التدقيق، فإن المعروف حتى الآن هو أن خالد محمد سعيد تعرض للضرب المبرح على أيدي اثنين من أفراد الشرطة يرتديان ملابس مدنية في مقهى للانترنت. وذُكر أن أفراد الأمن جروُّه خارج المقهى واستمروا في ضربه حتى فاضت روحه.
وقال محام من مركز النديم للعلاج والتأهيل النفسي لضحايا العنف إن أقرباء خالد محمد سعيد أُبلغوا بوفاته، ولكنهم مُنعوا من رؤية جثته فوراً. وقد نقلتهم الشرطة إلى مركز شرطة سيدي جابر، حيث قيل لهم إنه ابتلع كيساً من المخدرات عندما اقتربت منه الشرطة، وإنه توفي نتيجة لتناول جرعة زائدة.
وفي يوم الاثنين، الموافق 7 يونيو/حزيران، قدم ذووه شكوى إلى المدعي العام، ولكنهم فوجئوا بأن الشرطة سبقتهم بتقديم تقرير ادعت فيه أن خالد محمد سعيد توفي نتيجة لتناوله جرعة زائدة من المخدرات. وأصدر المدعي العام أمراً بإجراء تشريح للجثة للوقوف على أسباب الوفاة، ولا يزال التحقيق مستمراً.
إن منظمة العفو الدولية تدعو إلى إجراء تحقيق يتماشى مع المعايير الدولية، ومنها تلك الواردة في مبادئ الأمم المتحدة بشأن المنع والتقصي الفعالين للإعدام خارج نطاق القانون والإعدام التعسفي عقب إجراءات مقتضبة.
وفي ظل حالة الطوارئ المعلنة في مصر منذ 29 عاماً، أصبحت الانتهاكات على أيدي قوات الأمن أمراً اعتيادياً، ويندر أن يعاقَب عليها، ولم يقدم أي من المسؤولين عنها إلى العدالة إلا في حالات قليلة للغاية. وفي وقت سابق من هذا الشهر، تم تمديد فترة حالة الطوارئ لسنتين أخريين؛ على الرغم من الدعوات المتكررة إلى رفعها في أسرع وقت ممكن من قبل الدول والجماعات الدولية لحقوق الإنسان أثناء دورة المراجعة الدورية العالمية.
وقالت منظمة العفو الدولية: "إن السلطات المصرية يجب أن تتصدى فوراً للضرب الوحشي والقتل بأقسى الطرق. وإذا لم تتخذ أي إجراء، فإن ذلك يعني أنها ترسل إشارة واضحة مفادها أن هذه الانتهاكات يمكن أن تستمر، وأن إفلات الجناة من العقاب أمر مكفول. ويجب أن تقوم السلطات المصرية بلجم قوات الأمن، وأن تعرف أن عيون العالم مفتوحة عليها على نحو متزايد، وأن الصور المنشورة على الشبكة الدولية تعني أن هذه السلطات لا تستطيع أن تتجنب إجراء تحقيق واف باستخدام تمويه آخر
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
Uprooted Palestinian
This is ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS. INSHALLAH someone in Egypt or anywhere can do something about it. May Allah give this poor man justice, and his family. This world is corrupted and this corruption is spreading to what should be a muslim country. These are the end times. Muslims must come together and revive the sunnah. Please please please. Peace.
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