An official source at the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces (SCAF) said on Tuesday that Egypt's Central Security (CS) apparatus would not be abolished, but that its chiefs would be replaced. Egypt's CS forces operate under the command of the Interior Ministry. The CS apparatus was established following the 1952 revolution to replace the political police employed by the Egyptian monarchy. It is widely believed that the CS was used to weaken Egyptian opposition parties and movements, and that its main function had been to protect the regime of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The CS apparatus is thought to have been used to purge state institutions, trade unions and universities of any elements seen as potentially hostile to the ruling regime. Egyptian opposition groups and revolutionary youth movements also accuse CS forces of resorting to the liberal use of torture in Egyptian prisons. They demand that the CS apparatus be abolished and that its powers be transferred to Egypt's intelligence service. The same source confirmed that the CS apparatus "had committed many abuses.” By setting a two-term limit on Egypt's presidency, the SCAF hopes that the CS apparatus "will change from one that protects the president to one that protects the homeland.” The source added that CS Chief Major-General Hassan Abdel Rahman “no longer exercises any powers and his activities have been suspended.” “He will also be investigated for the crimes of torture of which he has been accused,” said the source. At a meeting with the SCAF on Sunday, several Egyptian intellectuals confirmed that Abdel Rahman had in fact been involved in the illegal torture of numerous detainees. Translated from The Arabic Edition.
