The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) condemns the National Security Agency’s intervention to delete a statement published by the Medical Syndicate calling for an investigation into the death of a doctor during pretrial detention and the psychological and physical torture he was exposed to in a police station before his death. It calls on the Egyptian authorities to restrict the illegal roles of the National Security Agency and to stop its continuous interference in public life and its assault on the right of citizens and non-governmental organizations to freedom of expression, as if it is above the law.
On 30 March 2023, the Medical Syndicate published a statement calling on the Public Prosecutor to investigate the death of Dr. Ragai Wafai while he was in custody at Gamasa Police Station, Dakahlia Governorate. It also called for an investigation into Wafai’s exposure to psychological and physical torture at the hands of the police station officers. Wafai’s wife had earlier submitted a complaint to the syndicate asserting that her husband was subjected to cruel, inhumane treatment during his detention.
After the syndicate published its statement, a National Security officer contacted Ahmed Hussein, a board member of the syndicate, and asked him to delete the statement from the syndicate’s Facebook page. The officer voiced his discontent with a paragraph in the statement that talked about international human rights treaties and conventions. Despite Hussein’s refusal to delete the statement, the syndicate’s Facebook page replaced it with an explanatory statement noting that the syndicate filed a lawsuit based on the complaint submitted by the doctor’s wife, and that the accusations mentioned in the previous statement did not mean any indictment or acquittal.
For its part, the interior ministry issued a statement denying that Wafai died as a result of not receiving healthcare while he was held in pretrial detention at Gamasa Police Station. It said that as soon as Wafai felt unwell, he was transferred to Gamasa Central Hospital, but he died due to an acute respiratory distress.
The fact that the National Security Agency forced the syndicate to delete its statement shows how far the security apparatus pervades the public life, monitors social media, and prevents individuals and various institutions from expressing their opinions, especially with regard to the arbitrary practices of the security services that violate the rights of citizens at all levels. The National Security Agency also restricts the roles of trade unions and prevents them from performing their role and protecting their members.
It is better for the Egyptian authorities to investigate the torture allegations and punish the perpetrators, instead of pursuing any attempt to uncover these practices or to demand that those responsible be held accountable, especially if they belong to security services. The security services in the country are above accountability, something which confirms the interior ministry’s systematic policy that aims to tighten grip on all public and private spheres, control citizens, and prevent calls for change and accountability.
AFTE condemns these repressive and illegal practices. It calls on the Egyptian authorities to investigate the reports of torture submitted by the Medical Syndicate and to put an end to the practices of the National Security Agency that violate freedom of expression and aim to obliterate any talk about human rights violations, especially if the aggressors belong to security services.
