Egyptian Coalition Takes the Case of Somaya Ashraf to WashingtonPost

Egyptian Coalition Takes the Case of Somaya Ashraf to WashingtonPost

 The Coalition of Egyptian Organizations in North America condemns the brutal attacks on Azhar student, Somaya Ashraf, who was beaten by university guards and security last week.

The group is working intensively to raise awareness of current affairs in Egypt to the whole world and to bring Officer Amr Abdel Azim to justice who brutally beat, insulted and attacked Ashraf after she refused to be searched by male officers at the university gates. The incident was filmed on mobiles and posted on youtube.

 

Colonel Omar Afifi, spokesman for the Coalition of Egyptian Organizations in North America, met with Jackson Deil, deputy editor of the Washington Post and presented him with the video of Ashraf’s beating and pictures of Khaled Saeed the interior ministry’s victim who was also tortured and killed by police last summer. The videos brought angry responses with promises to raise the awareness of US taxpayers informing them of how their money is being used to support Mubarak’s regime in oppressing, torturing and killing Egyptians.

Another delegation, headed by Dr. Saad El Deen Ibrahim, Colonel Omar Afifi, Dr. Amin Mahmoud, Dr. Ibrahim Hussein, and Tarek Khaleel, met with Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State in the US presenting evidence of the ongoing torture and repression practiced by Egyptian security forces against civilians. The delegation asserted that continued support by the US administration to the Egyptian regime creates a negative impact and does not serve Egyptian-American interests. It called on the US administration to take a serious stance against the continued support of Egypt ‘s oppressive regime.


Dr. Saad El Deen Ibrahim also headed a delegation to the White House and met with senior officials and experts on the Middle East and Egypt . He requested a report on the incident from both the US and Egyptian embassies in Egypt and Washington . The delegation also highlighted the importance of international monitoring of upcoming elections in Egypt as well as ensuring judiciary supervision of the elections.

Dina George from the delegation raised the issue of concerns they have of recurrent sectarian tension ahead of the parliamentary elections, adding that this could be a plan to divert attention from the elections and the comprehensive political reform in Egypt suggested by the National Association for Change, headed by Dr. Mohamed el-Baradei.

Officer Amr Abdel Azim is expected to be questioned during the coming days. The Coalition is expected to raise the issue of torturing and beating youths and activists under the nose of all international bodies and bringing to justice anyone who commits illicit torture.