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 Int'l human rights watchdog criticizes "arbitrary" arrest of Egyptian protestors
CAIRO, Jun. 29, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized what it described as arbitrary arrests of Egyptian protesters who were demonstrating against the death of a young blogger purportedly beaten to death by two police agents.
"Egyptian authorities should stop beating and arbitrarily arresting peaceful demonstrators and investigate those responsible, " HRW said in the report on Monday, accusing Egyptian police of arresting demonstrators on June 10, 13 and 20 while protesting the alleged killing of Khaled Mohamed Said, 28.
The international watchdog said its staff observed security officials beating and arresting protestors and journalists during a protest on June 20 in downtown Cairo. At least 55 protestors were arrested during the protests.
Among the detainees were Sayed Torkey, HRW consultant and Emad Mubarak, director of Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, a human rights nongovernmental organization, who were both there to monitor the protests, the report said.
Some 36 other protestors were arrested during a protest near the interior ministry's headquarters in downtown Cairo on June 13, the report added, noting that all the arrested protestors were released later.
On June 10, security forces arrested 10 people including two women and Said family's lawyer in Alexandria.
"This cycle of security officials beating peaceful demonstrators, holding them for hours or days, and then finally releasing them without charge needs to stop," said Joe Stork, HRW deputy director for Middle East and North Africa.
Reports including pictures which showed Said's face full of bruises, his chin cut and his jaws destroyed sparked anger among people and local rights groups and led to several protests and demonstrations nationwide.
Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei, a potential candidate to Egyptian presidency, led more than 1,000 people on Friday in an anti-torture protest in Alexandria, Said's hometown.
Two forensic reports said Khaled Mohamed Said died of asphyxia after swallowing a joint of bhang narcotic, confirming the police account which is denied by the deceased's family and rightists.
Local human rights groups said the two police agents who dragged the young man outside an internet cafe early in June and beat him to death were apparently avenging on him after he posted on the internet a video showing policemen dividing the spoils of a drug bust among themselves.
(2010-06-29 / NewsyStocks.com )
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