Regeni Breakthrough/Breakdown

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Hafiz
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Regeni Breakthrough/Breakdown

Post by Hafiz »

Regeni Breakthrough/Breakdown

(Its long and boring, some most won’t like it. the reason its long is because the story is complex and detailed and a deal of round ups/bashings have occurred in recent months. Also some posters seem naive about the current situation. Its boring because its detailed). The recent update in the last 24 hours is that the video tapes provided to Italy of Regeni's movements that Egypt has secreted in its body cavities for 2 years contain lots of edits and gaps. Is anyone surprised.

Its 26 months since his torture and murder by the police/military intelligence (according to the conversations leaked in Switzerland which included clearly identified colonels and generals) but its only now that video tapes of the street from which he was abducted have been given to the Italians by the freedom and justice loving Government of Egypt.

Apparently the Russians have been helping the Egyptians with the ‘restoration’ of these tapes – the KGB is good at that and also Moscow street killings, faked suicides/people falling down stairs/poisoning with nuclear materials, blackmail, bribery, computer hacking, false news, torture, gassings and hitting pedestrians with motor cars – but only against liberals or people asking inconvenient questions about missing Leningrad money.

Why the Italians allowed a low-tech dirty country that can’t even manufacture a computer, camera or video camera to do this rather than Japan or one of the Nordics confirms my view that the Italians want this to go away with no one to blame. They initially hired Germans and whilst its unclear, it seems the Egyptians drove them off. Wonder why.

That the Cairo police could refuse access to the tapes for 26 months shows how worried they are about responsibility – in this case senior officials not the standard Upper Egypt kid cops they usually throw to the lions.

The Egyptian public prosecutor handling this matter is a ex-cop with a hard to read and undistinguished career – a deal of it in the Gulf. To describe him as hard line would be too soft. A bit like the judiciary and legal profession the prosecution service seems far from independent of the government. Whether any of them protect the public rather than the Junta interest I leave you to guess.

Regeni’s torture had two clear features. It was professional and near identical to the extreme brutal techniques previously used by the Government of Egypt. This is absolutely clear.

The police also killed 4 ‘criminals’ who were ‘found’ with police (planted) evidence implicating them with Regini. There were claims that they had guns /shot at police but this was probably untrue. No one has been charged with their killing nor with planting the evidence. This bloody side-show was designed to divert western attention together away from the police/military.

In addition the State pumped out rumors that he was gay/a drug taker/involved in a violent relationship break up/a spy (believed by members of this forum at the time)/killed in a motor car accident/killed by organized criminals. Maybe they did a rectal examination on his corpse. No one has been held responsible for issuing or printing this twaddle – all of which has now blown away and no longer pumped out. Al Ahram gladly printed it at the time because it does what it is told.
https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/05/30/ ... unterpart/

That this killing of 4 was a 3rd rate stooge set-up (by the most intelligent and senior people in Egypt) was shown by the fact that the Government of Egypt quickly discarded it as their ‘solution when the most casual media questioning pulled their story apart. The people who planned the 4 killings were fools and brutes as were their Supreme Intelligences who managed them. There has been no formal retraction by the State for these 4 murders nor any evidence their families were compensated nor the police who did the killings charged. The western media ignores these sad 4.

The NYT says the chances of now retrieving useful images from the Russian tape handed over to the Italians is 1:1,000,000. More recent reports says the tapes are a mess – so the Russians have succeeded.

Regini’s parents seems to given up all hope of justice – did no one tell them that Justice in Egypt was possible if you were very, very rich – and maybe not even then. http://www.ansa.it/english/news/politic ... f350e.html Did no one tell them there was little justice in Italy.

The parents have been discreet but firm. Here they are giving evidence to a Parliamentary Committee/Press Conference (which will do them little practical good):

Image
I imagine there are hundreds/thousands of Egyptian parents in not dissimilar situations. The arguable evidence is that 1200 Egyptians arrested in the past few yaers are ‘missing’. Again the International Court should send investigators.

The shameless Italian State have recently ‘released’ some new information on Regeni:
“Mr Pignatone (the Italian Prosecutor) said the motive for the killing could be "attributed solely" to Regeni's research. (this implies it was a political killing)

"What also has become clear is that Giulio had for months attracted the attention of Egypt's state apparatus, which continued in an increasingly pressing way until 25 January."

Some people that Regeni met during his research had "betrayed him", the prosecutor said, without giving more details. (the paid police informer who was a union official (unions are orifices of the state) and whom Regini refused to fund).

Mr Pignatone also said there were "evident contradictions" between statements from Cambridge University sources and the details that emerged from Regeni's correspondence. (that Cambridge has behaved evasively and badly in this matter is no news – except to some ‘loyal’ London newspapers. The University has denied everything/refused to be interviewed for 2 years and blamed everyone else – but recently handed over communications equipment after 26 months – the same amount of time it took Egypt. The facts contradict its position http://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2017/12 ... 183055569/ )

The next is unbelievable. The Italians identified 7 Egyptian suspects/people they wanted to interview: “His team, he said, were unable to attend the questioning of suspects by Egyptian investigators.” So the Egyptians did their own interviews of fellow cops/spooks and were forensic in questioning and reported back accurately to the Italians – Really no one believes that. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42821199

How can you do a professional investigation unless you do the questioning yourself? What have the Egyptians to hide that they won’t even let Italy sit in on an interview? How can the allegedly professional Italian prosecution service agree to this and not dissociate themselves from it and refuse to accept it as plausible evidence? Its Italian integrity in full display.

In case you think this whole story is rational this is what Sisi said in March 2016 when there had been little actual investigation, few facts but hundreds of barking mad al Ahram theories. ‘Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, has suggested that 28-year-old Italian research student Giulio Regeni may have been tortured and killed in Cairo by his political enemies seeking to destabilise the country at a sensitive time…..“The timing of this incident is intriguing and raises several questions. Why did it happen during the visit of the Italian minister of economic development to Egypt, where she headed an Italian business delegation?” Sisi said. “Why did it happen when bilateral relations gather unprecedented momentum both politically and economically? Are there any beneficiaries who seek to impede relations, given the turbulent situation in the region?” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... lio-regeni.

So the Brotherhood did it – and everything else bad in Egypt. What idiot/Major General drafts these loopy press releases/establishes government policy?

The NYT also mentions that a week or so ago a US post graduate (but probable Egyptian citizen/dual citizen) student, Waled Salem, researching the Egyptian Judicial System (an oxymoron) was ‘rounded up’ and charged with the usual offences – I don’t like you – “spreading false news” and “belonging to a terrorist group,” He is in Tora – but not the 7 star Mubarak medical/I’m nearly dying suite where connected people leisure – including the fatally ill contracting billionaire, Luxor hotel owner, murderer/now released Moustafa.

The kid was arrested after interviewing the noted Egyptian law Professor Nour Farahat and his interviewee implies his approach was standard and safe – but not safe enough. The Professor appears to confirm that his other interviewees were safe.

Some reports say he is connected with Georgetown University – one of the best, most connected and powerful in the Middle East - particularly in the Saudi and Jordanian Royal families – but not in Egypt where the rich kids are not so bright/hardworking. It has also spent a large fortune in establishing a full campus in Qatar – but never Egypt. We will see.

This kid is currently before a military court (with judges with no relevant legal skills or experience) and ordered detained for another fortnight. Maybe like Regeni he will be ‘found’ to be gay/a drug addict/a criminal and al Ahram can then ‘announce’ the ‘evidence’. The American Embassy is silent so maybe he is not their citizen or maybe they are just hung over/with their mistress/on the coast.

The Egyptian Wael Abbas, a blogger, has also been rounded up as part of a new cleaning up of people with opinions. He also is charged with the standard crimes and probably raping his mother to achieve ‘public support’ for his charging. Presumably he will get the standard bashing – broken ribs and hits with an instrument to the head – dozens/scores/hundreds of others have.

There seem to be others rounded up in the past few days but talking about that would betray a State Secret and imperil the security of the nation from its thousands of prowling enemies – or maybe just the Junta.

The Egyptian newspapers have no news on this at all.

Maybe this time the Security Services will learn from previous mistakes and use the Red Sea – or a meat mincer and avoid standard techniques like ice pick hits to the soles of the feet.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne ... -in-egypt/.

The new Russian friends probably have ways and means – although a few of their very recent killings have been less than ‘professional’. Maybe the Italian or Russian Mafia could ‘help’.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/worl ... egeni.html written by the rather good Cairo-based Declan Walsh the Cairo correspondent who got himself kicked out of Pakistan for opening his mouth.

Some context going back 4 years which shows distinctive patterns – patterns ignored by all the ‘good’ countries until recently.

Here is a first hand account from 2014 of an Irish, Cairo based, journalist being rounded up and bashed. He claims for no reason. The story confirms more recent examples.

Its interesting because it involves the ‘famed’ Giza police station which is also mentioned in in the Regini matter.

Its also interesting because of the descriptions of others rounded up with him, the reasons for this and their likely fates. The round up is not planned and targeted but much more crude and out-of-control.

The article is also a description of something that other posters find difficult to grasp. The police don’t care and they are shameless in their belief that they can get away with anything – even with foreigners. In addition paranoia of westerners and spies is driving some of this.

He previously contributed to the excellent liberal/entertainment/glossy Cairo Scene website whose main focus was on restaurants, entertainment and nightlife. Although it is true that some of his stories were controversial – but never anti-government.
http://www.vocativ.com/world/egypt/jour ... iro-egypt/

His CV has none of the scent of spying/trouble making/activism about it – but others would say this is because of his good spy craft. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/conorsheils. I thought all British spies went to Eton and Oxbridge/The Guards.

There are dozens of other examples of first hand not very smart, dragnet, roundups and mistreatment. So we will never know the full story.

If this was going on in 2014 is it better or worse now? If this can be done to Westerners what gets done to locals/homosexuals/women/political enemies/young girls?

There are more.

1. On October 25, 2016 the Court of Cassation upheld a ruling sentencing one police officer to seven years in maximum-security prison and five other policemen to three years each for torturing a citizen to death in a police station

2. 2016 Police bashed to death a 50yo cart-man who allegedly had 500 Tramadol tablets on him. (Why so many assets in his pocket and he is pushing a cart). There was video evidence of bashing but the police denied everything and said he had killed ‘himself’ in an accident. http://en.aswatmasriya.com/news/details/18063

3. 2016 Three journalists arrested for spreading false news/belonging to a banned organization bashed and electrocuted in detention. http://en.aswatmasriya.com/news/details/17809

4. A 14 year old boy arrested in his home by 30 heavily armed State Security Officers for membership of the brotherhood interrogated, raped and electrocuted. Raped again and then released. http://egyptwatch.info/cases/mazen-mohamed/

5. Kareem Hamdy a 28 year old lawyer arrested in 2015 first for demonstrating, then for weapons and then for brotherhood affiliation and then for violence. Died in detention with the state claiming suicide. A private forensic autopsy showed extreme violence including 10 broken ribs to his body including genitals. Witnesses were interfered with. 8 policemen and State Security including a major and a colonel were tried in a secret court with a gag order placed by the state on the media. They were jailed for 5 years for murder (you get 15 for demonstrating). All appealed and two, the senior officers, got a retrial in October 2016. I assume that these 2 got off because the media hasn’t mentioned it in the subsequent 2 ½ years. It’s the Egyptian way. http://ecrfeg.org/en/2016/10/02/officer ... d-retrial/

(The BBC said in 2015 that dozens of lawyers had been jailed merely for defending brotherhood individuals – this explains a lot but raises the issue why the western legal profession is not protesting http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35082987). At least 3 lawyers have died in detention in the past few years – all from torture.

There is of course the more recent BBC report which goes further and implies 1200-1500 of the disappeared may have met an ‘end’ and there are many more I could add.

In 2017 the government closed down the very reputable el Nadeem center run by a psychiatrist and providing medical and related services to torture victims. Apparently they were collecting figures. http://en.aswatmasriya.com/news/details/18446.

In 2016 the US Department of State officials visited Egypt. Even I was surprised by the graphic language they used in their public report. Here is a small excerpt:

“The most significant human rights problems were excessive use of force by security forces, deficiencies in due process, and the suppression of civil liberties. Excessive use of force included unlawful killings and torture. Due process problems included the excessive use of preventative custody and pre-trial detention, the use of military courts to try civilians, trials involving hundreds of defendants in which authorities did not present evidence on an individual basis, and arrests conducted without warrants or judicial orders. Civil liberties problems included societal and government restrictions on freedoms of expression and the media, as well as on the freedoms of assembly and association in statute and practice
.
Other human rights problems included disappearances; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrests; a judiciary that in some cases appeared to arrive at outcomes not supported by publicly available evidence or that appeared to reflect political motivations; reports of political prisoners and detainees; restrictions on academic freedom; impunity for security forces; harassment of some civil society organizations; limits on religious freedom; official corruption; limits on civil society organizations; violence, harassment, and societal discrimination against women and girls…”

Its certainly much worse now.

Oddly no Egyptian newspaper mentioned this report.
https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/265706.pdf but then again Egypt broadcasts only one type of news – good news about the eternally powerful and respected Egypt. How long can the illusion last?

On the Regeni matter. He was looking at a sensitive issue about an illusion. The question he may have had in his mind was whether the union/syndicate movement for poor street sellers acts in their interests or acts in the ruling class/Junta’s interests to keep them down, under control, intimidates, deceived and struggling in order that the top can live well and peacefully? As if any one could doubt that the whole of society and the economy is controlled for the very few and that the many pay a very high price for this. Nasser the great socialist destroyed the union movement just like Stalin, Hitler, Mao and others so that control would be absolute.

There is something about the perceptions of tourists and expat residents which miss the big points. Here is a bit of an ILO report a few years ago – the ILO is tepid in its criticisms, a bit like Egyptian tourists, yet it is clear.

‘Egypt’s ongoing repression of independent trade unions and workers’ freedom of association.

…also criticized the Egyptian government’s recent violations against independent unions, including restrictions on the publication of official documents, prohibiting their participation in collective bargaining and subjecting independent union organizers to the risk of layoffs, and even arrests’. And Nasser was a great socialist and his successors ran the same rhetoric - the reality was always about power concentrated in very few hands for the benefit of the even fewer.

I think the real situation at the moment is much worse that this.


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Re: Regeni Breakthrough/Breakdown

Post by Major Thom »

If they are good friends with the Ruskies then maybe Novochok would save a lot because no one in Egypt would be able to identify it. What a good way of getting rid of foreigners!! :lol: :lol: But would certainly get rid of the myth we torture, execute and kill here.
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Re: Regeni Breakthrough/Breakdown

Post by Dusak »

Major Thom wrote:If they are good friends with the Ruskies then maybe Novochok would save a lot because no one in Egypt would be able to identify it. What a good way of getting rid of foreigners!! :lol: :lol: But would certainly get rid of the myth we torture, execute and kill here.
My talking crap meter just went through the roof with this one. :zz
Life is your's to do with as you wish- do not let other's try to control it for you. Count Dusak- 1345.
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