25/02/2013 / EGYPT
In chilling interviews, Egyptian children describe being tortured
“They whipped us and beat us; they pulled me by the hair”, explains this 12-year-old child. Screenshot from a video by Mosireen.
Mosireen, a website run by Egyptian activists, has published a video compiling the interviews of several children who say they were tortured during their arrest and detention in prison.
The victims are between the ages of 12 and 17. Most of the children say they were beaten by police officers before being imprisoned. The children also explain the brutal treatment they suffered behind bars.
Zeid Taysian Mohammad Ahmad, 12 years old
A policeman threatened to cut my throat with a knife. He told me that if I didn’t tell him the truth, he would decapitate me and throw my head into the sea, and that nobody would ever find out what happened to me.
Islam Khaled Eid, 17 years old
They made us get out of the truck and began to beat us. They made us sit on the ground and took off all our clothes. We waited there for an hour, then they threw buckets of water on us […]. We were kept there for four days without any food.
To watch the video with English subtitles, click the "captions" icon on the bottom of the player. Subtitles by Mosireen.
More and more children are taking part in anti-government protests in Egypt. According to lawyers working with minors, several hundred children, some as young as 9, were arrested by the police and imprisoned following the January 25 protests marking the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution.
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arrests of children
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sat, 23/03/2013 - 01:15.Aside from the torture, which is unacceptable (obviously), a 9 year old should not be arrested in the first place!
Children and detention camps for immigrants
Submitted by Antoinette Jackson (not verified) on Thu, 07/03/2013 - 20:09.Same thing going on in the detention centres in America for immigrants. They are held INDEFINITELY with NO law for ANY hearing. Many children are growing up in these detention centres. America scorns North Korea for it's camps and yet when I listened to the story of one man who got away, he also said people are born and grow up in the camps. So what America says about "other" countries it ALSO does the SAME thing! They just don't admit to it! But it does exist and if you read online you will find out it does.
Children and detention camps for immigrants
Submitted by wbarmy (not verified) on Wed, 13/03/2013 - 16:18.Pure baloney and a blatant attempt to put the USA on the same level as Egypt. I have worked in or visited detention facilities all over Arizona and the Southwest border with Mexico and there is nothing even remotely similar in any of them. Just the fact that we are not torturing or abusing children in these facilities highlights the difference. But there is also the fact that these are facilities, with medical and social services readily available, for all of the the detainees. We have laws about immigration, but we try to the best of our ability to enforce them in a humane and moral manner.
Children and detention camps
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 08/03/2013 - 21:21.Please tell me where these detention centers are located--perhaps we can speak out in our free country. I am from the USA this does not sound like the USA I know and live in. Are these families trying to become US citizens? In other words, what are they doing in America (USA)? Perhaps we can help. Are they able to return to their own country if they want to--but they stay in these centers (where they are fed and cared for?) because they so badly want to wait to become citizens? What are they accused of if they are wrongfully being held? I know there is a protest right now to urge Iran to release Saeed Abedini (an American pastor) from prison, perhaps the media could cover this in similar fashion. Perhaps this is being kept from the general public? I'm so sorry! Please know that whatever you may hear, usually it does not represent the general USA public.