PHA-Exch> Egypt: Doctors working for IRCT member centre physically attacked at court house

[PHM Global Secretariat]

Posted by Ms Margriet Blaauw, Head of Programme Unit, mb at irct.org, direct tel. + 45 20 34 69 13
Dear Colleagues, 

On Wednesday 30th April Drs Magda Adly and Mona Hamed of IRCT member organisation El Nadim Center for Psychological Management and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence were assaulted inside the court house of the town of Kafr El Dawwar in Northern Egypt.

The assault took place immediately before the two doctors were to attend a court case concerning several members of a local family who had allegedly been subjected to torture by local police.

Upon entering the courthouse Dr. Adly was attacked by a man who appeared to attempt to steal her handbag. The attack resulted in Dr Adly sustaining a cut wound as well as possible dislocation of a shoulder. Moreover, she experienced a short period of unconsciousness. While hospitalised, she was interrogated for two hours, starting at 1 AM on the morning of 1 May. 

Dr. Mona Hamed's car was destroyed in the course of the events under circumstances that are yet unclear. According to a statement released by El Nadim Center 30 April, following the assault the attacker confessed that he had acted upon orders of chief intelligence officer Ahmed Maklad of the Kafr El Dawwar police.

Background

On the morning of the attack El Nadim Center had released a statement calling for an investigation into the alleged torture of family members of Sobhi Mohamed Sobhi Hussein by local police in Kafr El Dawwar.  According to El Nadim Center representatives, upon an appeal from the family a team comprising medical experts from the center went to Kafr el Dawwar to medically examine Mr Hussein and several family members.

The IRCT, which represents 139 treatment centres for torture victims in 71 countries, condemns the attack on Drs Adly and Hamed in the strongest possible terms and urges the Egyptian authorities to: 

·         urgently and effectively investigate the attack on Drs Adly and Hamed and do everything in their power to safeguard their lives and integrity; and

  a.. urgently and effectively investigate the alleged case of torture against members of the Sobhi Hussein family and do everything in their power to safeguard their lives and integrity. 
Underlining that the government of Egypt is responsible for protecting all of its citizens, not least those who work to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, the IRCT emphasises that no delay can be afforded in taking vigorous action to investigate the case and ensure that justice is done.

Appeals have been sent directly to the Egyptian ministries of Interior, Justice and Health. Moreover, several foreign embassies in Cairo as well as the delegation of the European Commission have been contacted and requested to take action to protect and support all colleagues at El Nadim centre in the current situation and in their ongoing work in support of torture survivors.

For more information, please contact:

Ms Margriet Blaauw, Head of Programme Unit, mb at irct.org, direct tel. + 45 20 34 69 13

or 

Mr Sune Segal, Head of Communications, sse at irct.org, direct tel. + 45 20 34 69 14
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20080502/fcc8eb2d/attachment-0001.html>