ElBaradei gives support for Egypt doctor tortured in his name

CAIRO: Egypt's most popular opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei voiced his condemnation at the Egyptian government for allegedly torturing a doctor for supporting the opposition leader in Fayoum, about an hour south of Cairo. ElBaradei's statement comes as activists and observers fear that the government is employing new tactics to silence opposition support for the former International Atomic Energy Agency chief.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said that Taha Abdel Tawab, Fayoum doctor, had been called in for questioning after he voiced support for Mohamed ElBaradei’s nomination for the presidential elections next year.
“There, the physician was sadistically tortured as a brutal punishment for expressing his opinion,” ANHRI said. “He was then transferred to Senorus hospital in Fayoum between life and death.”
ANHRI lawyers reported the incident of torture to the prosecution, “yet they showed reluctance and procrastination and refused to summon the officer, giving him an opportunity to start an intimidation campaign to pressure Taha Abdel Tawab to waive the communiqué.”
ElBaradei has fought back over the matter. The doctor allegedly attended a rally in ElBaradei's name and was subjected to what he and the rights group says was 24 hours of torture at the hands of state security officers.
“Dr. Abdel Tawab was subjected to such an assault because he tried to practice his legitimate right of peacefully expressing his opinion of the importance of changing Egypt's political conditions,” ElBaradei said in a statement.
“I strongly condemn this barbarian assault and I'd like to seize this opportunity to express my personal and unconditional solidarity with Abdel Tawab and any other free and loyal Egyptian,” he added.
Abdel Tawab had begun a hunger strike, but ended it after receiving support from local opposition leaders, including Gameela Ismail, who asked the physician to eat food.
“Whoever thinks he is mightier than God is wrong and I will continue my strike until I preserve my full rights,” the physician told Al Destour newspaper from his hospital bed before Ismail showed up at the hospital.
The return of ElBaradei to Egypt has seen a revitalization of the opposition community, who are looking to the 67-year-old Nobel Peace prize winner as a potential catalyst for change. Hundreds of his supporters welcomed him to Cairo in February and many believe he is the country's best chance to oust the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) from what they have called a strangehold on power.
The ministry of interior denied to Bikya Masr that the doctor had been arrested due to his support for ElBaradei, saying that “there are other security questions that need to be answered before we can comment on the situation of individuals.”
BM