Distrust of police endemic two years after Egypt revolt
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa =
Cairo (dpa) - The revolution that was to free Egyptians of Hosny Mubarak's autocratic regime, with its feared security apparatus and suppression of freedom of expression, has done little to dispel endemic distrust of police.
On the two-year anniversary of the revolt Friday, protesters will return to Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square - the epicentre of the demonstrations that toppled Mubarak - dissatisfied with their first civilian president and his Muslim Brotherhood-backed government.
Egyptians still complain of a security vacuum, the use of lethal force by police and the impunity enjoyed by police officers implicated in violence against protesters.
There have been neither cosmetic nor substantive changes in the police apparatus - whether administrative, in decision-making, or the removal of those responsible for torture and killings, said civil rights group Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
When the mass rallies of 2011 were planned, pro-democracy activists chose January 25 - Police National Day - as the start date.
More than 875 people were killed during the 18-day revolt. Public anger at police abuses led to the destruction of many police stations.
The withdrawal of security forces from streets nationwide made things worse.
The Interior Ministry continues to defend the police force by either denying its use of weapons or justifying abuses, EIPR said.
Lawyers complain that accused police officers have not been jailed pending their investigation on criminal charges. In the process, witnesses and families of the victims end up getting pressured to change their statements to undermine the case.
"As long as policemen use firearms irresponsibly and do not work in a framework of accountability and independent supervision, the lack of trust between citizens and police will continue," said Karim Ennarah, a researcher in EIPR's security reform programme.
EIPR has called for the establishment of an independent body to investigate violations by security officers, restructuring the police force and changing the rules to allow the use of weapons only in cases of grave danger.
A majority of the police officers accused of killing protesters during the revolt against Mubarak have been acquitted for lack of evidence. Senior Interior Ministry officials who were on trial with Mubarak were not only acquitted but also most of them returned to their positions.
Of 186 police officers who were facing trial for killing protesters, only two were convicted and are serving prison sentences. Five officers were sentenced in absentia and 13 received suspended sentences. Some cases are still under way.
Last week, clashes erupted in Alexandria when riot police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators throwing rocks outside a courthouse, where former security officers were on trial for killing protesters.
In the Cairo suburb of Shubra last week, five people were killed and 12 - including three police officers - were injured in clashes that erupted after a civilian was killed by a stray police bullet.
The recurrent clashes have left many in fear of a return of violence on the second anniversary of the January 25 revolution.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said a security plan is in place for Friday. Police will secure Tahrir Square from the outside but will not be present inside the square, and rally organizers have been tasked with securing it from the inside.
Ibrahim said security forces will not carry firearms, only riot gear and tear gas.
Gaber Younes lost trust in the security forces after the August fighting in the north Cairo slum of Ramlet Beaulac where he lives.
Police raided the area following tensions between residents and the management of a five-star hotel. One person was killed in the ensuing clashes.
Some 51 civilians are facing trial for rioting. No police officers were charged for either the death or the injuries caused by firearms.
"How come the police force that should protect people, is the one that is hitting us?" asked 63-year-old Younes, a father of 11.
"At the time, they arrested almost everyone in our area. Then a day later, policemen stormed my house, hit me, my daughter and my wife," he said. "I filed a complaint to prosecution, but nothing happened."
"Fifty-one people were taken - just like that. Tell me, in what country does that happen?"
Following Mubarak's ouster, the government promised to restructure the Interior Ministry. Not much was changed.
The State Security Investigations, notorious for torturing Mubarak's opponents and protesters, became the Homeland Security agency - with most of the staff unchanged. There were no clear legislative provisions for the work of the new body.
The only legislative reform related to the police and security forces was adopted by the now-dissolved parliament, which amended the law to raise salaries and incentives for security personnel and abolish military trials for police officers.
In recent months, international and local rights groups have said that police brutality and the torture of civilians continues under President Mohammed Morsi, who took office in July.
EIPR said that 16 people have been killed by police - many of them inside police stations - during Morsi's first four months in power.
Published in Business Recorder
