Campaign slams MOI for Wadi al-Natrun violations

The Interior Ministry began to transfer detainees from the Central Security Forces camp known as the 10.5 km Camp to Wadi al-Natrun Prison, the campaign group Freedom to the Brave wrote in a press release Wednesday.

About 70 detainees, including journalist Kareem Buhairi, are being transferred in addition to 470 detainees who were similarly transferred from Dokki about a week ago to the same prison.

The statement seeks to dispel the view that the treatment of detainees in the prison is better than in CSF camps, pointing out that the worst testimonies of torture have emerged from Wadi al-Natrun Prison.

The remainder of the statement consists mostly of extracts from the testimony of Islam Abu Ghazala, a 24-year-old graduate student, arrested on October 6 in Dokki during mass protests against the pro-military government.

During his arrest, Abu Ghazala received a bullet in his leg as well as rubber bullets in the head and back. He is being charged with belonging to an illegal group among other charges. Abu Ghazala is currently in administrative detention that has been renewed several times.

One of the co-detained had a bandage on his chest. Abu Ghazala describes the police beating him repeatedly on the bandaged area with a water pipe.

The testimony recounts that torture begins upon arrival.

“We were received by a large number of officers, soldiers and intelligence personnel who met us with a storm of swearing, carrying arms, sticks, hoses, belts and water pipes in a terrifying scene. They monstrously beat us up on every bit of our bodies. They then placed us, like prisoners of war, one on top of the other, while they continued torturing and humiliating us,” he said.

The testimony goes on to describe the removal of the detainees’ clothes and a stream of filthy sadism. He recounts that they were forced to “crawl for 500 meters amid a barrage of swearing, beatings and threats.”

“They didn’t distinguish between old and young, healthy or injured,” he said.

In parts of the testimony not quoted in the press statement, he describes detainees being forced to repeatedly insult former President Mohamed Morsi while they were being beaten.

The press statement points out that although Abu Ghazala’s testimony was published on February 13, no steps have been taken to investigate what would constitute violations of both international and domestic law.

The campaign demands an immediate investigation of what happens in Wadi al-Natrun prison and for lawyers and human rights organizations to visit the prison.

The campaign is one of the member groups of the Revolution Path Front.

Privately owned Al-Shorouk reported on the press release, quoting from part of the testimony. Meanwhile, state-owned Al-Ahram also reported on it with a shorter piece that neither quotes from the testimony nor makes reference to torture referring instead to violations.

In a previous press release from last week, the campaign said that the “Interior Ministry carries full responsibility for the health status of all prisoners and detainees” and called on the prosecution to fulfill its role in ensuring the safety of prisoners and the accountability of police officers responsible for these violations.

On Tuesday, the campaign held a one-hour demonstration on October 6 Bridge. The protesters did not chant slogans, but silently held signs bearing photos of the detained.