Guardian Reports on Egyptian Torture of Anti-Government Protesters

From Steven Soldz, who caught an important article by the UK Guardian. The seeming U.S. uncertainty over how to proceed on their Egyptian "crisis" is a cover for the organization of the repressive apparatus, caught off guard by the rebellion, and now aiming its counter-revolutionary terror forces at those who would protest dictatorship. I promise, you will see no U.S. protest over reports of Egyptian torture. Hell, Obama and Clinton support putting chief torturer Omar Suleiman in charge of the whole country!

Egyptian military torturing protesters, Guardian reports

The Egyptian military is using some of the billions given it by the US to arrest and torture the brave protesters, the Guardian reports. Perhaps the Obama administration wants an “orderly transition” in order to make sure to not disrupt the military and intelligence services torture capabilities, which have proven so useful to the US.

These accounts destroy the image of the wonderful army, strictly maintaining its neutrality. When observers aren’t looking, the army is brutalizing protesters.

Rather than an “orderly” transition, everything must be done to hasten the departure of this entire vile regime. Every day of delay is another day for the torturers to ply their trade.

Egypt’s army ‘involved in detentions and torture’

Military accused by human rights campaigners of targeting hundreds of anti-government protesters


By Chris McGreal

The Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak began, and at least some of these detainees have been tortured, according to testimony gathered by the Guardian.

The military has claimed to be neutral, merely keeping anti-Mubarak protesters and loyalists apart. But human rights campaigners say this is clearly no longer the case, accusing the army of involvement in both disappearances and torture – abuses Egyptians have for years associated with the notorious state security intelligence (SSI) but not the army.

The Guardian has spoken to detainees who say they have suffered extensive beatings and other abuses at the hands of the military in what appears to be an organised campaign of intimidation. Human rights groups have documented the use of electric shocks on some of those held by the army.

Egyptian human rights groups say families are desperately searching for missing relatives who have disappeared into army custody. Some of the detainees have been held inside the renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities on the edge of Tahrir Square. Those released have given graphic accounts of physical abuse by soldiers who accused them of acting for foreign powers, including Hamas and Israel.

Among those detained have been human rights activists, lawyers and journalists, but most have been released. However, Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in Cairo, said hundreds, and possibly thousands, of ordinary people had “disappeared” into military custody across the country for no more than carrying a political flyer, attending the demonstrations or even the way they look. Many were still missing.

“Their range is very wide, from people who were at the protests or detained for breaking curfew to those who talked back at an army officer or were handed over to the army for looking suspicious or for looking like foreigners even if they were not,” he said. “It’s unusual and to the best of our knowledge it’s also unprecedented for the army to be doing this.” (more…)