Tuesday, December 22, 2009

RIGHTS-EGYPT: Bloggers Name and Shame Torturers


By Cam McGrath

"CAIRO, Dec 21 (IPS) - People might expect fresh-faced Noha Atef to spend a lot of time writing blogs and perusing social networking sites, but they are often surprised by the content of her posts and tweets. The 25-year-old Egyptian journalist uses the Internet to expose police abuse and torture in her home country.

Atef’s blog, 'Torture in Egypt', is the most comprehensive site of its kind in the Middle East, with reports, photos, video clips and a library of articles aimed at exposing the brutality of Egypt’s police and security forces.

"Torture is commonly used in Egypt because police officers are not punished if caught," she says. "Reports of punishment are merely government propaganda. At the most, officers receive light punishment, which is usually appealed."

Atef, a reporter for a local, independent newspaper, says her interest in the dark subject dates back to 2005 when she read a report by an Egyptian human rights organisation on women subjected to abuse and torture in Egyptian police stations........"

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