By Brittani Howell
Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – On Friday, thousands of doctors protested the assault of two doctors by policemen that occurred a month ago. This was the largest demonstration in Egypt since the unauthorized protests had been banned over two years ago.
A doctor working at a hospital in Matariya last month, told a police officer that his cut didn’t require stitches. The police officer’s response was to beat up the doctor and a colleague and take the two into custody. Mamoun Hassan el-Deeb, the deputy head of the hospital, told the Associated Press that the doctors, Ahmed Abdullah and Moamen Abdel-Azzem, had been attacked by two police officers.
According to a nurse who had witnessed the incident, seven additional police officers rushed to the scene to arrest the doctors. She also reported that when one of the doctors tried to resist, he fell and the policeman stomped on his head with his boots.
According to Abdel-Azzem’s Facebook page, he initially filed an official complaint but later withdrew the complaint. Abdel-Azzem feared detention in prison once he found out that officers filed a counter-complaint accusing Abdel-Azzem of assault.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate called for the prosecution of the police officers that were involved in the alleged assault and stated that they would protest until the officers were brought to trial. Dr. Rashwan Shaaban, the assistant secretary-general of the syndicate told Reuters, “The general assembly of the syndicate decided to escalate the situation and is organizing a protest across all hospitals on February 20.”
According to human rights groups, there is a culture of impunity across Egypt as police brutality is widespread. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights stated, “The authorities (must) end the overall impunity enjoyed by police today to prevent the constant recurrence of such incidents.”
The protests came just days after the body of Italian student, Giulio Regeni, was found at the outskirts of Cairo. According to eyewitnesses, surveillance camera footage would have revealed that two Egyptian security agents, in plain clothes, took Mr. Regeni into custody when he was last seen.
Egyptian authorities have not yet requested the footage, according to shop keepers. Human rights groups indicated that this is typical police behavior in Egypt.
According to Egyptian security officials who were interviewed, Mr Regeni was “very rude and acted like a tough guy,” and was then taken into custody. Authorities also allege that Mr. Regeni was also suspect because certain contacts on his phone were associated with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and the April 6 Youth Movement. One official stated, “They figured he was a spy,” continuing, “After all, who comes to Egypt to study trade unions.”
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – Italy Mourns, Premier Demands Truth from Egypt Slaying – 12 February 2016
BBC News – Giulio Regeni: Funeral Held for Italian Student Killed in Cairo – 12 February 2016
Reuters – Thousands of Egyptian Doctors Protest Over Alleged Police Brutality – 12 February 2016
The New York Times – Egyptian Doctors Revolt Against Escalating Police Abuses – 12 February 2016
The New York Times – Italian Student’s Death Highlights Perils for Egyptians, Too – 12 February 2016
