Torture in Egyptian prisons – a guide through videos
Egyptian prisoners, many of which include mere suspects, go through unimaginable torture. Thanks to the internet, we are exposed to many videos that expose this torture. I find it unethical to post the horrific videos here, because no one actually has permission from these prisoners to publish such humiliating videos that include men being raped by sticks, or women mocked while tortured. But you can easily find it through YouTube. I’ll post the least horrific ones (and believe me, these are all nothing compared to the real stuff.) I’ll start with an ART (popular string of Arab channels) video where a film indirectly criticized the type of torture Egyptians must face in prison.
Take a look here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Lzn4AYzbI[/youtube]
The second video is extremely powerful. Here is the English translation provided by the video’s poster:
This freedom song is a post-mortem story told by a dead narrator. He says: “Hey, good news, I’m finally dead and free. The other day I was having tea at my usual cafe. I was feeling great. All of sudden, for no reason, I began singing: ‘Freedom, Freedom, where are you? Mubarak is keeping us away from you’. A split second later, two guys came up to me: ‘Hey wise guy, what exactly do you think you’re doing? You’re a political activist or a melody maker?’ I replied: ‘oh… hello… Say, why don’t you guys join me for a cup of tea?’ They replied: ‘No, no sweet heart. You join us.’ So they grabbed me by force to their official secret service car. ‘Where are you taking me?’, I asked, ‘to hell?’ No, they replied, we’re taking you to some place worse: an Egyptian Police Station’. Humiliation, insults, electric shocks, beating, cigarette burnings, slapping and rape…
‘Freedom, Freedom, where are you. Mubarak is keeping us away from you.’
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsk9hnMbl50[/youtube]
I only hope that Kareem will be as safe as possible while in prison. I hope he will not face such traumatic abuse. I hope all these violent abusers rot in hell for ruining the lives of thousands if not millions.
Join the Conversation
One of those things Jina and I agree completely on…
They do it because they can…who is watching? Who are they accountable to?
Torture in prisons is kind of like saying sex is a brothel…if there is no system of accountability…like a free press etc…forget it…hot bamboo under the fingernails. It is hard enough to keep police types from being brutal when they are closely watched…I mean…what kind of personality would say..”hey…I want to be a prison guard in Egypt”.
Ain’t gonna be Mother Teresa.
Some one must be held accountable for everything that is happening, prisoners shouldn’t be hit, no metter what they do, it’s illegal, because they’re already being punished for what they’ve done. Egypt is one of the least democratic and one of the most dictatorial countries in the middle east!
Well, right now, we are. That’s the whole point of the post.
More like… in the world.
What is Egypt Now? If Egypt becomes nothing more than a leaf following Niles Stream it may obey Nature’s Call for Wrath but how do you stop yourself from falling out of your Rational Boundaries?
Isn’t peace of mind what anyone wants?
If not then nothing is certain…
Not Even Wrath through Peace…
Can the leaf becomes drunk from all that recent turbulence?
Can Water make you Drunk?