Egypt’s Vulnerable Witnesses

Ahmed El-Said Salem, a 19 year old boy, witnessed his friend being killed by the police at a downtown Cairo protest during the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak.

Atef Bahbah, Ahmed’s friend was tortured to death in a police station as he attempted to help an assaulted woman file a report, following a violent security raid in the area.

Ahmed Salem, was beaten up pretty badly after watching his friend get murdered and hospitalized by the security forces in March. His family says, that Ahmed was beaten up and hospitalized to keep him from testifying. 

Sadly, since then, Ahmed has been locked up in a mental institution. 

Apparently, the police report says Ahmed is mentally ill and was carrying documents outlining an Israeli plot when he was arrested.

Nadia Loutfi Mahmoud, his sister in law, wrote to the Ministry of Health asking for an immediate psychological re-assessment, but they replied saying, according to the law, his case will be reviewed in six months. So he’s stuck.

Bahbah’s own wife Ateyad was offered 200,000 Egyptian Pounds to retract her testimony incriminating the police. She was threatened that the authorities would jail her brother if she did not back off. 

A month later, the report said, that she said her husband died after falling heavily on his head.

It’s sad, depressing and devastating how the Egyptian authorities deal with murder.