Lies, Leaks and Regeni.
Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:19 am
(Its long and complicated – so be warned)
Remember the Italian student, Regeni, who was tortured in a systematic and ‘professional’ way, then killed and whose badly mutilated body was dumped on the side of the road two years ago. Well its all still being ‘investigated’.
Others have died in this matter. Four people were shot by the police because they had ‘kidnapped’ Regeni to steal from him. Fortuitously Regeni’s possessions were found on them. Outside Egypt no-one believed this story. Who ‘placed’ these possessions on these innocent dead people is a mystery that has not been investigated.
Cambridge University’s position on the death has been appalling. After two years and following a meeting and an agreement between the Foreign Ministers of the UK and Italy, Dr Maha Abdelrahman (Regeni’s tutor – why would a mere tutor supervise a Phd – very odd) has finally agreed to her first interview with Italian Police. La Repubblica claims it has evidence of worse. (There are others who see this as blame transfer to meet Italy’s international interests but I find these arguments unconvincing and the people putting them forward self-interested/personally connected.)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... geni-death
Worse than Cambridge is the American University in Cairo with whom Regeni was affiliated whilst in Cairo. They have been silent on the whole matter concerning their student. Is anyone surprised by their interpretation of integrity and morality.
This University is no better than its discredited Chairman, Ricciardone,
http://foreignpolicy.com/2010/07/09/bat ... to-turkey/
There has now been a new development in the last few days. Someone had sent a letter to the Italian Embassy in Bern Switzerland apparently from the head of the Egyptian Security Service (40,000-50,000 staff) dated just after Regeni’s death admitting that they had arrested him. This is something they have always denied and have been keen to let the Security Services take the blame. If accurate this leak shows an intention of transferring responsibility to those who did the killing and away from the Security Service.
If Military Intelligence is responsible it fits with the systematic torture over several days (unlikely to have been done by four mere Cairo thugs but previously done, in ways specific to Regeni), the previous fear of international academics and NGO’s and their out of control/devil-may-care behavior.
The Western media has not seen this new letter which raises questions about why the Italian Government has not released it.
There is form for these institutions. The previous head of the Security Service (who tracked him for weeks/months prior to his arrest) is documented in Wikileaks as saying that the NGO’s were ‘anarchists’. By 2009 18 police/security had been imprisoned for torture and killing. In 2010 a US Assistant Secretary of State who visited Egypt wrote a report which described torture as ‘pervasive’. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2011/02/wiki-f05.html
Well someone high up is now leaking which continues a pattern of leaks going back three years.
According to those old Commo’s in La Repubblica (latterly liberal after the old dogma collapsed) this is not the first leak. About 5 months after his death someone sent the details of his arrest and death to the same Embassy in Switzerland. It contains many specifics including the places he was held, his secret file number and the charges alleged against him – proposed assassination of Sisi. The file was under the control of General Salah Hegazy (after December 20 2015 by General Mohammed Shaarawi) the head of the Security Service (and who seems to have two relatives in very senior military positions including Chief of the Army and one whose children has married a Sisi child) which is consistent with other information that the detention/torture of non-nationals was handled at the most senior levels – including informing the President.
Bizarrely one of Regeni’s most frequent social contacts was the son/relative (Whalid) of General Hegazy. This may have been the reason for the removal mid-stream of General Hegazy. https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2016 ... ty-organs/
Following this shake up the file was transferred for a short time leading to death to Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Mohamed Farah Al-Shahat. Regeni’s file carried a new number: M.1 / 25,2009/ under the supervision of a new investigator, namely, Officer Galal al-Dabbagh, known as “the butcher”. Al-Dabbagh was described in the leaked report as irascible, arrogant, witty in the application of all that is new in the field of torture, and a monster in the form of a man. At this stage the leaked report contains a copy of a Ministerial Report on Regeni to the President. Dabbagh would know a deal about the torture and murder. The new leak is consistent with this earlier leak showing a transfer to the Military.
Competitiveness between agencies might explain why the body was just tossed on a roadside. Apparently the Military killed him but expected their inferiors in the Security Service to get rid of the body. Usually bodies of tortured victims were disposed of carefully in a specific part of the October 6 suburb (useful to know of you are doing any excavation/building in that area). Security staff may have been unenthusiastic about a careful disposal and angry about how the case was removed. As it turned out they left the body with an Army issue blanket which the old Italian Reds interpret as payback to the Military for stealing their case. https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2016 ... ty-organs/
The detail of the leak, its early date and its consistency with other information (not publically available at the time of the leak) means it is more likely a accurate Security Service document than not. It has never been mentioned in the Egyptian media.
Bad feeling between/inside the ‘services’ might go beyond leaking because there are even allegations that Security Services staff leak information to have colleagues assassinated. https://www.madamasr.com/en/2015/05/10/ ... -security/. (an excellent writer Rabie) There also seems to be a determined policy to maintain the superiority of the Army over the police. If so it provides an atmosphere which might make leaking likely. The Red’s allege that senior officers also have compromising tape recordings on others. http://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2016/06 ... 141664738/
There are local views on the latest leak. Egypt Today sees it as an appalling fabrication – and continues its history of absolute worship of current arrangements. https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/40 ... i-s-arrest It does not mention it has seen the document so how it can have a view on this matter is beyond reason.
Al Ahram says the new leak is ‘entirely forged’ but provides no evidence for this view. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... nd-on.aspx. It also doesn’t seem to have seen it so its story is based on doing what it is told to say.
The public Prosecution Service says its forged – but provides no evidence. Confirms the world’s view about the integrity of Egyptian justice. It took them less that two days to come to this view which illustrates an efficiency not generally associated with them. Whether they used scientific/forensic technology or handwriting experts is not mentioned by them. Indeed they give no reasons for how they have come to their conclusion.
For a more general view about infighting a scholarly and reasoned analysis (a bit dated): http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikr ... -president
Detailed background on the Regeni case current to August 2017: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/maga ... egypt.html
Meanwhile, and not unrelated, Egypt has given approval for UK universities to set up ‘branches’ in Egypt. Whether implementation will take a year, decade or happen at all is an interesting question. What type of independently minded academic would chose to live in Cairo? What would be the point of teaching kids to think critically and analytically? What would be the rules on free speech or free publication? http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/agree ... -942708135
The Italian Government’s position on the whole matter is exactly what its enemies/critics would expect. The Pope’s position is deeply underwhelming. The silence of Cambridge and AUC in calling for justice is exactly what you would expect from institutions publically and enthusiastically committed to freedom and human rights.
Further leaks should be interesting. During Mubarak’s time detention of westerners involved the most senior people in Government. If continued it raises questions about the many who may have been accomplices (if such an offence exists in Egyptian law) to murder. On the other hand thank God for Egyptian law – the important accused always get ‘compassionate’ justice.
Remember the Italian student, Regeni, who was tortured in a systematic and ‘professional’ way, then killed and whose badly mutilated body was dumped on the side of the road two years ago. Well its all still being ‘investigated’.
Others have died in this matter. Four people were shot by the police because they had ‘kidnapped’ Regeni to steal from him. Fortuitously Regeni’s possessions were found on them. Outside Egypt no-one believed this story. Who ‘placed’ these possessions on these innocent dead people is a mystery that has not been investigated.
Cambridge University’s position on the death has been appalling. After two years and following a meeting and an agreement between the Foreign Ministers of the UK and Italy, Dr Maha Abdelrahman (Regeni’s tutor – why would a mere tutor supervise a Phd – very odd) has finally agreed to her first interview with Italian Police. La Repubblica claims it has evidence of worse. (There are others who see this as blame transfer to meet Italy’s international interests but I find these arguments unconvincing and the people putting them forward self-interested/personally connected.)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... geni-death
Worse than Cambridge is the American University in Cairo with whom Regeni was affiliated whilst in Cairo. They have been silent on the whole matter concerning their student. Is anyone surprised by their interpretation of integrity and morality.
This University is no better than its discredited Chairman, Ricciardone,
http://foreignpolicy.com/2010/07/09/bat ... to-turkey/
There has now been a new development in the last few days. Someone had sent a letter to the Italian Embassy in Bern Switzerland apparently from the head of the Egyptian Security Service (40,000-50,000 staff) dated just after Regeni’s death admitting that they had arrested him. This is something they have always denied and have been keen to let the Security Services take the blame. If accurate this leak shows an intention of transferring responsibility to those who did the killing and away from the Security Service.
If Military Intelligence is responsible it fits with the systematic torture over several days (unlikely to have been done by four mere Cairo thugs but previously done, in ways specific to Regeni), the previous fear of international academics and NGO’s and their out of control/devil-may-care behavior.
The Western media has not seen this new letter which raises questions about why the Italian Government has not released it.
There is form for these institutions. The previous head of the Security Service (who tracked him for weeks/months prior to his arrest) is documented in Wikileaks as saying that the NGO’s were ‘anarchists’. By 2009 18 police/security had been imprisoned for torture and killing. In 2010 a US Assistant Secretary of State who visited Egypt wrote a report which described torture as ‘pervasive’. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2011/02/wiki-f05.html
Well someone high up is now leaking which continues a pattern of leaks going back three years.
According to those old Commo’s in La Repubblica (latterly liberal after the old dogma collapsed) this is not the first leak. About 5 months after his death someone sent the details of his arrest and death to the same Embassy in Switzerland. It contains many specifics including the places he was held, his secret file number and the charges alleged against him – proposed assassination of Sisi. The file was under the control of General Salah Hegazy (after December 20 2015 by General Mohammed Shaarawi) the head of the Security Service (and who seems to have two relatives in very senior military positions including Chief of the Army and one whose children has married a Sisi child) which is consistent with other information that the detention/torture of non-nationals was handled at the most senior levels – including informing the President.
Bizarrely one of Regeni’s most frequent social contacts was the son/relative (Whalid) of General Hegazy. This may have been the reason for the removal mid-stream of General Hegazy. https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2016 ... ty-organs/
Following this shake up the file was transferred for a short time leading to death to Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Mohamed Farah Al-Shahat. Regeni’s file carried a new number: M.1 / 25,2009/ under the supervision of a new investigator, namely, Officer Galal al-Dabbagh, known as “the butcher”. Al-Dabbagh was described in the leaked report as irascible, arrogant, witty in the application of all that is new in the field of torture, and a monster in the form of a man. At this stage the leaked report contains a copy of a Ministerial Report on Regeni to the President. Dabbagh would know a deal about the torture and murder. The new leak is consistent with this earlier leak showing a transfer to the Military.
Competitiveness between agencies might explain why the body was just tossed on a roadside. Apparently the Military killed him but expected their inferiors in the Security Service to get rid of the body. Usually bodies of tortured victims were disposed of carefully in a specific part of the October 6 suburb (useful to know of you are doing any excavation/building in that area). Security staff may have been unenthusiastic about a careful disposal and angry about how the case was removed. As it turned out they left the body with an Army issue blanket which the old Italian Reds interpret as payback to the Military for stealing their case. https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2016 ... ty-organs/
The detail of the leak, its early date and its consistency with other information (not publically available at the time of the leak) means it is more likely a accurate Security Service document than not. It has never been mentioned in the Egyptian media.
Bad feeling between/inside the ‘services’ might go beyond leaking because there are even allegations that Security Services staff leak information to have colleagues assassinated. https://www.madamasr.com/en/2015/05/10/ ... -security/. (an excellent writer Rabie) There also seems to be a determined policy to maintain the superiority of the Army over the police. If so it provides an atmosphere which might make leaking likely. The Red’s allege that senior officers also have compromising tape recordings on others. http://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2016/06 ... 141664738/
There are local views on the latest leak. Egypt Today sees it as an appalling fabrication – and continues its history of absolute worship of current arrangements. https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/40 ... i-s-arrest It does not mention it has seen the document so how it can have a view on this matter is beyond reason.
Al Ahram says the new leak is ‘entirely forged’ but provides no evidence for this view. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... nd-on.aspx. It also doesn’t seem to have seen it so its story is based on doing what it is told to say.
The public Prosecution Service says its forged – but provides no evidence. Confirms the world’s view about the integrity of Egyptian justice. It took them less that two days to come to this view which illustrates an efficiency not generally associated with them. Whether they used scientific/forensic technology or handwriting experts is not mentioned by them. Indeed they give no reasons for how they have come to their conclusion.
For a more general view about infighting a scholarly and reasoned analysis (a bit dated): http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikr ... -president
Detailed background on the Regeni case current to August 2017: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/maga ... egypt.html
Meanwhile, and not unrelated, Egypt has given approval for UK universities to set up ‘branches’ in Egypt. Whether implementation will take a year, decade or happen at all is an interesting question. What type of independently minded academic would chose to live in Cairo? What would be the point of teaching kids to think critically and analytically? What would be the rules on free speech or free publication? http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/agree ... -942708135
The Italian Government’s position on the whole matter is exactly what its enemies/critics would expect. The Pope’s position is deeply underwhelming. The silence of Cambridge and AUC in calling for justice is exactly what you would expect from institutions publically and enthusiastically committed to freedom and human rights.
Further leaks should be interesting. During Mubarak’s time detention of westerners involved the most senior people in Government. If continued it raises questions about the many who may have been accomplices (if such an offence exists in Egyptian law) to murder. On the other hand thank God for Egyptian law – the important accused always get ‘compassionate’ justice.
.... 