Mohamed Abdel-Baky reports on the fallout from a widely circulated video clip showing two suspects being mistreated by the police Over the last week a four-minute clip posted on the Internet of two men being mistreated by military and police personnel has been watched by millions. Taken in April, the clip shows the interrogation of the two detainees who are repeatedly slapped and electrocuted while being questioned over weapons found in their possession in the Daqahliya city of Dossouq. Among the most disturbing aspects of the footage is the way in which the interrogating officers smile throughout, seemingly enjoying their abuse of the two. "These kinds of practices violate the Constitutional Declaration and international covenants, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention against Torture, to which Egypt is a signatory," says Hafez Abu Sead, head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights. Under the rule of Hosni Mubarak the kind of abuse seen in the video -- a relatively tame example, say activists -- had become a daily occurrence in police stations. Many suspect the depravity of techniques used by the State Security apparatus against Mubarak opponents is yet to become public. Responding to public concern the head of the Military Judiciary announced that it had opened an investigation into the incident. The use of such techniques in interrogating suspects, says Abu Seada, represents the greatest threat to introducing the rule of law to Egypt. In early January Sayed Bilal, an Alexandrian detained in connection with the Two Saints' Church bombing, died in hospital after being severely beaten during interrogation. Subsequent investigations showed that Bilal had nothing to do with the incident. At the time allegations were rife that the man's family had been offered LE100,000, an apartment, and employment for Bilal's brother, in order not to press any complaint against the police. In a case that fuelled the resentment that eventually burst forth onto the streets in the 25 January Revolution, two policemen beat Khaled Said to death on the streets of Alexandria in broad daylight. Said subsequently became a symbol of the Egyptian uprising. In Dossouq itself a protest was organised in support of the police and the military officers who appeared in the video. They were, argued those who took part, only doing their jobs. The demonstration, says Dareen Khalifa, senior researcher at the National Council of Human Rights, is a worrying development, showing just how far Egypt has to go before the rule of law is respected. Ain Shams sociology professor Ali Leila argues that changing such behaviour, and the way it is viewed by the public, can only happen when a consensus emerges that the law, and the way it is applied, provides a sufficient guarantee of public safety. "In the absence of political stability it is going to be extremely difficult to change police behaviour. Only when the law is applied impartially, and to everyone regardless of who they are, will such change take hold. And that requires a strong and legitimate government." On the streets of Cairo opinion appears divided over the police behaviour featured in the clip. Accountant Omar Mustafa, 29, believes there can be no justification for torture. "One day the police say it is necessary to protect society from hardened criminals. But soon they will start to use it again against people who oppose the regime." Mohamed Hashim, 42, disagrees. Criminals, he says, must see for themselves that "there is a police and government capable of protecting the Egyptian people".
