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Cairo 18\7\2009
After The General Prosecution Failure To Stand Up To Its Responsibilities,
ANHRI Speaks Up To The Public About Corruption , Fraud And Bullying
At Borg Al Arab Estate (formerly the prison).
Counting Down For Cassation, Kareem Amer’s Life Is At Stake.
ANHRI states that the reluctance of the general prosecution in investigating the communiqués filed from ANHRI lawyers , reporting assaults against Kareem in 11\2007 and visit banning in May 2009, is considered a green light for the prison officers to practice more of bullying, fraud and insult to the prosecution itself facing ANHRI lawyers after refusing to allow them to visit Kareem for the third time on 16\7\2009.

Three ANHRI lawyers have gone to visit Kareem in Borg Al Arab prison in Alexandria after having received a visit permit from the general attorney’s office in Alexandria. This is the third attempt to visit Kareem after failing to get through to him in May 2009 when officer “Mohamed Ali” refused to receive ANHRI lawyers in his office and let his assistants, privates, inform the lawyers that they will not get through to Kareem despite having all necessary permits and traveling a 250 km distance from Cairo to Borg Al Arab prison in the middle of the desert.

Corruption

1. While lingering in the filthy waiting room of the prison, and before being informed that they can not get through, ANHRI lawyers heard a private calling on “ VIPs, VIPs” . The lawyers were shocked to learn that some visitors have business cards or recommendation letters from officers or people in high places. “VIP” visitors get through easily despite they have no official visit permits, while ANHRI lawyers had all necessary permits yet they were not allowed to see Kareem who is in complete seclusion since March 2009.
2. Nevertheless, the very same ANHRI lawyers who were not allowed to visit Kareem ,managed to get a letter from him .This was done for a huge sum of money in the pocket of a prison officer!!

Fraud On 6/7/2009, Magdi Samaan , reporter, went to visit Kareem in prison but he was stopped by officer Mamdouh Ibrahim though Magdi visited Kareem in 2008.

In the letter ANHRI lawyers managed to get from Kareem on 16/7/2009, Kareem wrote that he accidentally took a look on the prison log book where he found out that the prison officers, led by Mamdouh Ibrahim , have written on 6/7/2009 that “Kareem refused to come out of his cell to meet the so called Magdi Samaan” . As Kareem wrote in his letter, “this is utter fabrication”. We, hereby forward this fraud incidence to the minister of interior and the general prosecution, if they care!

Idiots Confidence and Bullying at Borg Al Arab Prison
Ever since Kareem was imprisoned in 2007 after having had the worst unfair trial, day after day it became clearer that the prison (14,000 prisoners) is actually run by privates and non-commissioned officers while the officers relax in their cozy rooms.

Kareem has many tags : ” Kareem multi religion ” or “ Kareem who insulted the president ”.

During the past 30 months of Kareem’s imprisonment, ANHRI lawyers have tried more than once to clarify to prison guards that there is no such crime or accusation called “multi religion “ , but they would not listen . However, the home office is keen on keeping its staff so ignorant, so uneager to know. Home office recruit policy is picking and choosing thick headed personnel with blank minds. The guards seem so sure of themselves when they call Kareem as “ Kareem multi religion” .

The UN experts denounced Kareem imprisonment in March 2009,
http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/2009/pr0324.shtml .Obviously the prison officers have learnt the news and since then they started harassing ANHRI lawyers, and insulting them at times and stopping them from visiting Kareem. They would even ask them rude questions like, “Are you Moslems?”
http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/2009/pr0519.shtml

Complete Failure Of The Egyptian Prosecution, Will A Foreign Prosecution Help?
In November 2007, Kareem was tortured and physically assaulted by one of the prison officers. ANHRI lawyers filed a communiqué #18564 /2007 reporting the torture incident to the general prosecutor. No investigation took place till this day.
http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/2007/pr1112.shtml

In 23/5/2009 , ANHRI lawyers filed a communiqué #9643/2009 , requesting to open an investigation in the incident of visit banning and once more no proceedings took place. On 16/7/2009, ANHRI lawyers told the prison guards, privates, that the prosecution visit permit must be respected and carried out. One of the guards yelled at them ,” Your prosecution may take this order and shove down its own throat”.

ANHRI considers this insult towards its lawyers and towards the prosecution as well an logical result of the prosecution falling behind and not deterring those tormentors serving in the home office till they have gone wild.

ANHRI poses this question and demands an answer : whatever the reasons are for the prosecution failing its duties , is it about time to request for a non-Egyptian independent prosecution to implement the abandoned law and revive the choking justice?

Who Controls Borg Al Arab Prison (Estate) And Its Prisoners?
When the guard informed ANHRI lawyers that the officer in charge refuses to let them through despite all the “VIP” permit holders who made their way in, the lawyers insisted on meeting the prison chief officer to which the guard answered in great confidence , “Gamal Bek, Gamal Mekhaimar, prison the prison chief officer, has no say in this prison. Officers Mohamed Bek and Mamdouh Bek “- meaning Mohamed Ali and Mamdouh Ibrahim- “ are the prison masters”.

ANHRI lawyers could not meet any of “the prison masters” to know the reason for stopping them from seeing Kareem. None of the guards took the trouble of reporting the incident to the prison chief officer , which means that the man is not really in charge of Borg Al Arab prison, now known as “the estate of Mohamed Bek and Mamdouh Bek”.

ANHRI lawyers came back to Cairo without visiting Kareem, until further notice or until they receive the blessings of the “prison masters”.

Kareem’s Life Is At Stake With Cassation Coming Close
The last visit for Kareem was in March 2009. Three more visits were banned, 2 for ANHRI lawyers and one for Magdi Samaan the reporter. Being in seclusion for such a long period, and based on the torture incident , ANHRI announces extreme worry about Kareem’s safety and freedom. The cassation session is on 17/8/2009 , one month ahead, and there is a big possibility that the prison administration would fabricate an accusation for Kareem to hinder the expected release order by the cassation court.

Conclusion
ANHRI, as it discloses these happenings to the public, considers the harshness of this statement quite justifiable in return to the arrogance , indifference and cruelty of the prison officers to whom the respect of law is the last priority and a decision they will never take. Knowing for sure that the prosecution has abandoned its duties, ANHRI announces it will not waste time and energy in filing more communiqués as they will be neglected like the previous ones.

Nevertheless, ANHRI would like to draw the attention of the general prosecutor to this heavy feeling prevailing on Egyptians and Egyptian human rights organizations; a feeling of prejudice, bias and tilt of justice balance.

ANHRI asks the general prosecutor to start attending to this serious issue of police officers blunders and offenses, hoping that one day Egyptians and Egyptian human rights organizations will feel relieved to see justice done at last.