On the night of Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011, just a week before parliamentary elections in Egypt began, 31-year old Mohamed Mounir went to Tahrir Square to join thousands of Egyptians once again demonstrating there. The demonstrations all over the country flared up again after the Egyptian security forces brutally attacked a group of demonstrators in Tahrir Square on November 19th. Those whom the forces attacked had been injured in the early days of the January 25 revolution and are still waiting for recognition, compensation, and an end to military rule.
Mohamed had been in the square in January and February, but because it’s not easy making a living he had not returned since. On Monday, November 21st, he saw images of security forces attacking protesters that moved him to return to the square. “I went to carry the injured from the front lines,” Mohamed told us. At one stage Mohamed was caught in the middle of the American-made tear gas and lost consciousness. The security forces captured him, beat him, and accused him of being paid to incite violence against them. The video featured within the video above, which first appeared on YouTube, seems to have been filmed and uploaded by one of the officers involved in his interrogation.
Mohamed is lucky he was not tortured as severely as many others caught in similar circumstances in police custody in Egypt. Mohamed is lucky he came out alive.
Video by Mosireen and Intifadat Intifadat: <youtube.com/user/mosireen> and <youtube.com/user/intifadatintifadat>. See, also, <against-torture.net>.
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