The Value of a Good Dictator

Amnesty International have released a report that his highly critical of Egypt's record of torture and illegal detention. The report follows a particularly horrific attack on a taxi driver at a police station in Giza. Below is an extract from the introduction of the report:

A shocking video showing Egyptian police raping a male prisoner was posted on the Internet by an Egyptian blogger in November 2006. The victim was Emad Mohamed Ali Mohamed, known as Emad al-Kabir, a 21-year-old taxi driver. He had been arrested the previous January after trying to stop an argument between police officers and his cousin. He was accused of “resisting the authorities” and presented before the Public Prosecutor, who ordered his release on bail. However, police took him back to Bulaq Dakrur Police Station in Giza governorate and the next day – 20 January 2006 – they tortured him.

Emad al-Kabir said officers tied his hands and feet and forced him to sit on the floor. They whipped him and ordered him to call himself degrading names. They then removed his trousers and raped him with a stick, recording the torture on a mobile phone. An officer told him the video would be circulated in Emad al-Kabir’s neighbourhood (which it was) in order to publicly humiliate him and intimidate others.

Emad al-Kabir was subsequently sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for “resisting the authorities” and “assaulting a police officer”. After the video came to light, two officers from Bulaq Dakrur Police Station were charged with the unlawful detention, torture and rape of Emad al-Kabir; their trial began on 3 March 2007.

What happened to Emad al-Kabir was by no means an isolated incident. Torture and other ill-treatment are systematic in detention centres across Egypt, including in police stations, premises run by the State Security Investigations (SSI) services, and military camps.[1] This should come as no surprise – the systematic nature of torture in Egypt has been highlighted by Amnesty International, the UN Committee against Torture and others for many years.[2] What was unusual about Emad al-Kabir’s case was that the authorities took action against the alleged torturers.
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Around 18,000 administrative detainees – people held without charge or trial under orders issued by the Interior Ministry – are languishing in Egypt’s jails in degrading and inhumane conditions.[3] Some have been held for more than a decade, including many whose release has been repeatedly ordered by courts.

This torture has been supported by the American government who, according to Egypt's prime minister, had transferred some 60-70 detainees to Egypt as part of the "war on terror". There is no doubt about what the outcome was for those that were transferred to Egypt.

Egypt has remained a vital ally for the US since September 11th. While the American government has focused on the many human rights abuses in Iran, it turns a blind eye to those in Egypt. And yet, strangely, both are confirmed enemies of al-Qaeda. Furthermore, whereas the US has been quick to condemn the move towards nuclear power in Iran, it is keen to help Egypt develop their own nuclear program. And that's not to mention the $50 billion in US largesse from 1975-2004. And yet the difference is obvious. Egypt is willing to be an advocate for American policy in the region, a necessary voice in times of increasing criticism in the Middle East. In return, it gets the aid it needs to stabilise the economy and head off the criticisms of the more radical elements in Egyptian society.

It is unlikely that the US government will put any serious pressure on Egypt to face up to its human rights abuses. As long as Egypt continues to fight America's corner, the torture will continue. The American government has shown its willingness to disregard international law, it hardly seems believable that they would pressure their allies to respect human rights and the rule of law. At least, not when they have a good dictator on their side.

Further Reading: Egypt – Systematic abuses in the name of security - The full Amnesty International report.