Lawyer claims police beat key witness in torture case until unconscious

A witness due to testify in a torture case was reportedly beaten unconscious by police on Saturday morning, independently owned Daily News Egypt reported.

Mahmoud Hassan Naga was due to give evidence on August 4 regarding the death of Sayed al-Kosbary, before he was taken to the police station in his hometown of Rosetta, where the incident took place.

The Kosbary family’s lawyer, Mohamed Abdelaziz, told Daily News Egypt that Naga was previously threatened by police and is the main witness on the case. Abdelaziz added that police officer Mohamed Abo Yadak stands accused of “beating leading to death,” but has not yet been referred to trial.

Kosbary was arrested on May 2 from his workplace in Rosetta without formal charge. The 32-year-old was then reportedly severely beaten, before eventually being charged at the police station for possession of a firearm and resisting arrest. It wasn’t until later that evening that he was seen by medical officials, who confirmed that his injuries were the result of police aggression.

He appeared in front of the general prosecution the following morning and complained of being subjected to torture. He was refused access to the Forensic Medicine Authority and was instead sent back to jail, where he allegedly suffered further torture. He was eventually transferred to hospital on May 5, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The International Coalition for Freedom and Rights released a report in June, claiming that an Alexandria Criminal Court acquitted officer Osama al-Konayyessy, from the dissolved State Security Investigation Services (SSIS) of the torture and murder of Sayed Belal. Mohamed Al-Shemy was originally handed a 15-year sentence and LE10,000 fine in June 2012 for Belal’s death, which occurred shortly before the January 25 revolution, before he was ultimately acquitted on the May 29, 2015.

These incidents come after a report was released in January 2015 by the United Group, an independent Egyptian human rights law firm, citing interviews with 465 people who claimed to have been subjected to torture by Egyptian state security services.

The alleged victims filed 163 complaints to prosecutors between them, of which only seven reached the courts, according to New York based Human Rights Watch in February this year.