Issued and human rights activist and journalist Hossam Bahgat A statement on the detention by military intelligence and interrogation in front of the military prosecutor
Hossam Bahgat
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I would first like to express my thanks to all those who have shown solidarity with me in any way over the three days for "having me" by the Egyptian army.
Field and the timing was not appropriate here to tell the details of the three days, so I will just briefly here to register facts.
I went Sunday morning 8 November to the headquarters of military intelligence management at the written call to attend, received the title of my house three days before.
I spent nearly three hours in intelligence before being Aguetaada of the car through the rear door and under armed guard to a body of military justice after having been refused my request contact a lawyer or my family or my colleagues waiting outside the building.
In the military justice was maintained under guard in the car for five hours and then exceeded appeared before a member of the North Cairo military Procuratorate to investigate me as a defendant. It resisted several attempts of persuasion and intimidation to give up my right to call a lawyer, but my determination to my position ended up allowing me to make one call to notify important friend and my presence Baanaaja lawyer.
With the presence of a large number of colleagues, friends and lawyers of guys struggle past the start of the investigation with me by the chief prosecutor Colonel personally in the presence of nearly 25 Defense lawyers volunteers.
The investigation focused exclusively on achieving a news site published by "the extent of Egypt" in 13 Last October entitled "" the details of the military trial of army officers on charges of planning a coup. ". It was investigated on the background of communication submitted against me from the Military Intelligence.
Notify me at the end of the investigation the Chief Prosecutor I am accused of publishing false information that would harm the national interest, and by disseminating information harmful to public peace malevolently, under articles 102 bis and 188 of the Penal Code.
After completion of the investigation and exchange of lawyers was I receive intelligence war again and waited in the same car until the eleventh evening before attending another car carrying three armed men dressed in civilian clothes they searched me very carefully and then transferred to their car and put the ring to Ngmah my eyes and asked me my head cut on the opposite seat Mine.
I arrived to a place not informed him and stood in the open period during which the doctor came to me and asked me if I complain of illnesses or medications I take and then asked me to take off the shirt and pants and inspect the body ostensibly. Then allowed me to re-wear my clothes were inside the building to pick me up and disarm the gang from my eyes and the reservation to all my belongings, including my glasses medical then to pick me up a narrow dark cell-free anything but two blankets on the ground.
After about a quarter of an hour in the cell goalkeeper to Ngmah my eyes again and Astabna came to talk with officials he did not divulge their identities told me that the matter will end in the morning and is improving my detention and transferred to the "villa" conditions. He was taken to a modest clean room to a large extent by the bed and the extension of the small bathroom and allowed me to enter some food and drink Who got it from lawyers in the prosecution.
I stayed inside the room Almomnh wooden door behind him an iron gate since midnight Sunday 8 November and until noon on Tuesday 9 November. During this period has not been investigated with me and all my attempts ended in failure in the guards required to report to officials of my desire to know the decision of the military prosecutor on custodial or knowledge of the legal and Kmahbus Put up or shops for trial or kidnapped or even meet with any of the officers.
Noon on Sunday was Ngmata again and took me armed guard in a car to military intelligence again, where she met for an hour Dabtin generals and presenter and learned for the first time either that the prosecution decided to locking me four days pending investigation, but military intelligence decided to release me today.
At the conclusion of the meeting has been Spelling acknowledgment in writing reads "I committed to legal and security measures in the dissemination of any information relating to the armed forces" and that I was not any physical or moral harm during the period of my detention of military intelligence was then I receive my belongings and personal allowing me to leave.
I do not yet know the fate of the investigation with me on those two counts and defense lawyers will try to clarify the matter in the coming days.
Throughout the period of my interrogation in the military prosecutor's keenness to investigators emphasized more than once that I do not Otaatma legal and trade union protection afforded to journalists for being unrestricted Press Syndicate. However thanks to the journalists 'union on the appointment of a lawyer to attend the investigation with me, I once again appeal to the Board of the Journalists' Syndicate and the general assembly to take immediate steps to provide the umbrella trade union protection for all practitioners without discrimination.
In the end I was lucky this enormous amount of solidarity and sympathy and that good within my treatment to a large extent and the short period of my stay in custody despite the procedural irregularities of my rights as a defendant, which I referred to above. I can only thank again all the lawyers, colleagues, friends and comrades of the Egyptian and international organizations who intervened to express their support and to help me.
I wish freedom for thousands of unjustly detained in Egyptian prisons. I stress once again to reject and condemn the criminalization of journalistic work, the use of the Penal Code in the imprisonment of journalists, and the trial of civilians before military courts.
Hossam Bahgat
Six in the evening - 10 November 201
