CAIRO: Egypt-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned the Military Police for its continuous detention and use of violence against civilians, in a press statement on Monday. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the country's top authority since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak, has lost a lot of its credibility among the streets of Egypt for using repressive measures against citizens, it said. Political activists and human rights groups have continuously condemned what they call “repressive measures” that continue to take place despite the loud concerns of the international community. “Detaining activists and bloggers is a clear violation of freedom of expression, a basic human right,” ANHRI said. The most recent violation being on Sunday, where the military prosecution extended the detention of 11 activists for their involvement in a small demonstration that took place near the Ministry of Defense on Friday evening. The detained protesters had marched to the location of the Ministry after their participation in Friday's mass protest in Tahrir Square. After their arrest, they were charged with vandalizing Kobry al-Kobba metro station and attacking the military police. The Military Police and Central Security Forces had closed the Abbasiya Square in an attempt to prevent the protesters from marching to the headquarters of the Military Council. This was not the first occasion on which Military Police arrested or used force against peaceful protesters. On August 1, 113 protesters were arrested, for their role in the July sit-in calling for change in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding an end to military rule and the removal of the emergency law – which Egypt has been under for three decades. This followed clashes between Central Security Forces and protesters which resulted in the injury of three police officers and some protesters. In recent weeks, a video circling social networks of Military Police torturing citizens, has stirred anger among human rights groups and political activists. The citizens in the video, handcuffed and blindfolded, screamed in agony as Military officers used electric batons to beat them. A similar video that was posted a few days earlier showed military and police officers torturing three citizens who they accused of having access to unlicensed weapons. The torture and human rights violations are not necessarily new; denied but then confirmed by a high ranking military official; a number of female protesters were summoned and forced into “virginity tests” for participating in a sit-in on March 9. Among these female protesters, marketing director, Samira Mohamed, claims she was threatened of being killed in case she doesn't drop the charges against Military Police. “These incidents emphasize that the situation we are going through is a continuation for the same policing mentality of the former regime. The violation of the law, torture, repression of the citizens' freedom, and terrorizing them by the ongoing detentions and referral to military trials, contradict with the citizens' right to a fair trial before a civil judge in case of having already committed a crime,” said ANHRI. ANHRI added that the Military Council must put an end to its violations of freedom of expression; “whether it be through blogging or peaceful demonstrations – and that an investigation into torture cases where the Military was involved is absolutely urgent.” An end to military trials for civilians has been one of the top demands of political activists in recent Friday protests. BM
