CAIRO: Military and state security prosecution continued interrogating 50 arrested in the aftermath of the clashes outside the Israeli embassy and the Giza Security Directorate on Sept. 9-10. Rights groups say the arrests were random and mainly conducted hours after the clashes ended. "Military prosecution interrogated Thursday 13 civilians in two cases out of 10 scheduled to be questioned this coming week," Mohammed Abdel Aziz, lawyer from Al-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, told Daily News Egypt on Thursday. "The questioning was adjourned to Monday to listen to the testimony of military police officer Mohammed Abdel-Wahab who arrested [the two of them], to testify that they were randomly arrested one day after the clashes ended," the lawyer added. Abdel Aziz explained that the military police officer is the only witness whose testimony will benefit the defendants, since defense lawyers had no eyewitnesses who saw the arrests. A group of those arrested during and after the embassy clashes were referred to state security emergency prosecution, of which 37 were interrogated Thursday, according to Abdel Aziz. "Those protesters were imprisoned for 15 days pending investigation as the prosecution did not allow me to look into the investigations report, claiming that it is secret, which is illegal according to investigations law," he explained. "The prosecutor also refused to refer the defendants to the forensic department [to examine] injuries resulting from torture they were subjected to during their arrest," Abdel Aziz added. Security forces detained around 200 people after protesters stormed the embassy building on Sept. 9 and clashed with police. Three were killed and more than 1,000 injured. The arrests have stoked fears of a return to police tactics used under Hosni Mubarak. Those in custody would be tried in special security courts under emergency laws still in place despite Mubarak's ouster last February. "We are getting reports that many of those detained were not related to the attacks and just happened to be in the area," said Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, describing the government response as "hysterical." "Security officials during Mubarak's time simply used to detain every one who was around and now the same thing has happened after the attacks on the Israeli embassy," Eid said. Heavy handed security policies are widely seen as one of the main factors that led to the protests that forced Mubarak from office. A military council took control and appointed a government to steer the country towards elections. A security source denied any random arrests, saying: "The police and military police only arrested those who were causing destruction at the embassy." A prosecution source said investigations were ongoing and no one had been sent to court.
