CAIRO: The Doctors of Tahrir announced on Saturday that they have captured a state security officer dressed as a doctor, who had “treated” patients and gave them “wrong shots,” which led to complications with protesters' health. The doctors kept the identity of the police officer anonymous. They said they saw his police ID card and that they surrendered him to the police. The doctors ,who held a press conference in Tahrir square on Saturday, said they captured the officer while he was present at one of the makeshift field hospitals in the square. The volunteer medics expressed their anger and discontent at the practices of the ministry of interior, especially after a series of tear gas attacks on the field hospitals, which endangered the lives of those injured during last week's clashes between protesters and police. One hospital, off of Mohamed Mahmoud street, where most of the clashes occurred, had to be moved twice due the heavy targeting from police. The medical group also called on the ministry of interior to conduct a swift and fair investigation on the attacks on its staff, patients and sites during the past week. They also condemned and denounced the arrest of Dr. Abdel Rahman al-Mistikawy while working with patients on Wednesday from the Mohamed Mahmoud hospital site. They also said the doctor was subjected to “inhuman” treatment while in custody. They called for his release and the release of all those arrested during the clashes of last week. The doctors said they were part of the negotiations with police to reach a ceasefire and truce, which was finally put into action on Thursday morning, after military police built a thick barricade that separated the two sides. The group, who insists on not belonging to any political wing, added that “We belive that the ruling military council had the power to stop the violence from the first day.” The press conference was held on the frontlines near the barricades that had been established by the military. “We ask the ministry of health to admit the deaths that occurred due to gas asphyxiation,” said one doctor. The group was instrumental in treating protesters all through the past week after being attacked from the police with thousands of banned and expired tear gas, rubber bullets, live ammunition and Molotov cocktails. The doctors also added that they captured 8 people on Saturday at the makeshift hospitals, who were armed and or had drugs on them, and they were “there to steal medicine.” BM
