Amnesty International says there is evidence, and eye witness accounts indicating that pro-Morsi supporters tortured their rivals after mass rallies began across the country over a month ago.
Testimonies from victims include accounts of how they were
captured, assaulted and subjected to electric shocks by loyalists
of the former President. The organization also claims that
eight bodies at the morgue in Cairo also showed signs of torture.
At least five of these were discovered near pro-Morsi sit-ins
around the capital.
“Allegations that torture is being carried out by individuals
are extremely serious and must be investigated as a matter of
urgency,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the
Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
To back up their claims, the organization sites the case of a
21-year-old Mastour Mohamed Sayed, who along with 20 others
was assaulted by a gang armed with knives or machine guns of
alleged Morsi loyalists near the pro-Morsi sit-in at Rabaa
al-Adawiya early last month.
“I felt terrorized by the guns pointed at me…They grabbed
me...They called us ‘infidels’….We were then driven to the
sit-in… I was dragged on the ground. We were eventually held
under a podium…I was beaten with bars, and given electric shocks.
I lost consciousness a few times,” Amnesty International
quoted Sayed in their assessment.
The victim also claimed that he heard a woman being raped and
beaten. “I could hear the girl screaming when she was given
electric shocks. I could also hear a woman ordering her to take
off her clothes.”
Amnesty’s press release also claims that on 30 July that 11 have
been found in the country with signs of torture, siting Egypt’s
Ministry of Interior. The Egyptian campaign group “I am Against
Torture” told Amnesty International that it had independently
confirmed that count. Based on their own assessment, Amnesty says
that since the beginning of rival clashes, eight bodies arrived
at the morgue in Cairo showing signs of torture.
The bodies exhibited burn marks on the chest, back, arms and both
legs. Some victims were stabbed and many had skull fractures and
other bruises.
Amnesty has also stated that "torture or other ill-treatment
at the hands of security forces in Egypt has continued under
successive governments. Police and security forces continue to
torture or otherwise ill-treat detainees with total
impunity.”
Amnesty International also discovered that kidnappings occurred
during or in the immediate aftermath of violent scuffles between
pro-Morsi supporters and their rivals.
“The apparent use of torture for reprisal attacks is
unacceptable. People should not take the law into their own
hands. Political leaders have a responsibility to condemn these
criminal acts and call on their supporters to renounce such human
rights abuses,” Sahraoui said.
It is estimated that more than 250 people have lost their lives
since Morsi's ouster. Last Saturday alone, 82 people were killed
during in scuffles in Egypt.
In the latest bout of unrest on Saturday, 23 people were injured at a Media Production City complex in Cairo, including two policemen.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry said that police had taken 31 members of the Muslim Brotherhood into custody after they attempted to break into the complex. They chanted slogans against the military and prominent media figures.