As the new Egyptian transitional government took control, they found thousands of documents at Mubarak’s State Security Services detailing the torture used by Egypt’s secret police. I hope that information is made public to document for the international community how Republicans under the Bush Regime rendered suspects to Egypt, among other places, to be tortured.
The headquarters of the Egyptian State Security Services in Cairo is an impenetrable concrete fortress of thick walls and turrets, its main building menacing and imposing.
People used to be intimidated just walking past it, but the myth and mystery of the horrors committed within are now out in the open – the latest stage of Egypt’s continuing revolution.
The army has tanks and armoured cars outside after taking custody of the building and the thousands of documents inside which many people believe will reveal the truth behind the activities of the state security service.
After driving out a president and a prime minister, the protesters who have spent much of the past six weeks out on the streets, have now turned their attention to the feared secret police.
Its buildings have been raided across the country and the main headquarters in Cairo’s Nasr City was no exception.
‘Extremely creepy’
Hundreds of people gathered outside – many of them former prisoners who were held here on spurious charges and tortured before being imprisoned for many years.
They pounded the doors, surging forward and the army relented, letting them into the vast grounds and the buildings inside.
"It was extremely creepy," said Hossam Hamalawy, who was one of the first inside. He and others filmed their extraordinary raid on one of the most feared buildings in Egypt.
"We managed to find tonnes of documents inside and also underground prison cells. It was like a maze going down eight floors."
The demonstrations had focused on state security buildings in Alexandria on Friday as rumours spread the police were burning and shredding documents.
Inside the Cairo headquarters that’s just what they found – destroyed papers seen as an attempt to destroy evidence of human rights abuses and corruption.
"Mubarak’s base of support and his main tool a\nd weapon against dissidents and the Egyptian people in general had been state security police over the past 30 years," Hossam Hamalawy said.
"We wanted to storm those facilities to assure everybody we are in control, not the regime’s figures anymore."
There was an emotional scene as a torture device of metal poles and electricity transformers was brought out of the building. From his own experience one of the protesters demonstrated how it was used… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <BBC>
By refusing to investigate and prosecute Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Tenent, Gonzales, Bybee, Yoo, and other Republican war criminals, the Obama Administration remains in violation of several international treaties through which we committed ourselves to do so. It is my hope that the revelation of the Republican role in Egypt’s torture program might spark an international outcry to finally bring these criminals to accountability.
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