CAIRO: Former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei condemned on Thursday the detention and beating of Egyptian doctor Taha Abdel-Tawwab at a state security office in Fayoum for expressing support for the aspiring presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud ordered the Attorney General of Fayoum Prosecution to start investigations with State Security colonel Mohamed Abdel-Tawwab. Mahoumd ordered the Fayoum Prosecution Office to summon the officer for questioning on Saturday, March 13. After hearing the news, Taha Abdel-Tawwab ended his hunger strike. In a statement issued from South Korea, where he is currently visiting, ElBaradei warned of the government s use of oppressive measures against his supporters and against those who want to bring about change to the current political system. It was worrisome to follow local newspaper reports of Taha Abdel-Tawwab, the Egyptian citizen who resides in Fayoum and was subjected to physical abuse and humiliation from state security officials. He remains in critical condition after he fell unconscious and was transported to the intensive care unit at the Public Fayoum Hospital, the statement read. "The doctor [Taha Abdel-Tawwab] didn't believe that the officer would be questioned until he heard the Assistant Prosecutor General Adel Saied telling him the news on the phone, said political activist Gamila Ismail. "His health has deteriorated and he was hallucinating, Ismail, who visited the doctor at the hospital, said. She added that the hospital management declined her request to move him to a Cairo hospital. He told her that Taha Abdel-Tawwab can't be moved without the permission of the Prosecution Office, she told Daily News Egypt. She had prepared a special ambulance to move him. The assault came because Taha [Abdel-Tawwab] was exercising his right in peacefully expressing his opinion on the importance of bettering the current political status in Egypt, which is what the majority of Egyptians are calling for, and I am at their forefront and behind them, ElBaradei s statement continued. I condemn in the strongest words the barbaric assault this innocent citizen has been subjected to. I would like to take this opportunity to express my personal and unlimited support to Taha Abdel-Tawwab, and for every free citizen who is keen on protecting his country s status and dignity. I am willing to fight with all my ability to protect his [Abdel-Tawwab s] right in self expression and in his dream of a safe, civilized country. I am calling upon the responsible authorities to bring in the perpetrator of this horrendous crime for fair judgment so they that they get the punishment they deserve, the statement issued Thursday morning continued. Such uncivilized methods are a blatant violation of all international laws and customs, and could lead the perpetrators to be held accountable before local courts. Abdel-Tawwab, who is known for his support for the campaign calling for ElBaradei to stand for the upcoming presidential elections, was called in for questioning by Colonel Mohamed Abdel-Tawwab last Sunday at the state security office in Fayoum. He was then beaten as a punishment for voicing his support for the reform advocate. He suffered severe injuries and was later transported to a local hospital. Such acts will not scare away or silence our people. It will only add to the people s determination and force to pursue their dream of bringing about change, a dream which they deserve, said ElBaradei in the statement. The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) had condemned the prosecution general for not bringing in Mohamed Abdel-Tawwab for immediate questioning after the doctor s accusation.
