Testimonies to Mubarak’s Reform

Iman, Researcher

We received the messages and learned the location of the demonstration. Then, when we arrived, we knew that 4 or 5 people have been arrested. We were very few and the police started to arrive in the area. It was about 12.10. we decided to walk in groups until our number is big enough to avoid trouble. We had noticed that we were being followed since our arrival in down town Cairo. Whatever direction we take we found police cars and police in plain clothes. We saw tourist buses come to the location, carrying banners supporting the ruling party and filled with members of the national party. They blocked the traffic. The passengers left the buses, blocked the street and started shouting.

We hesitated. Should we set up a counter demonstration? We were still very few. We heard another group chanting protest slogans. The group was separated by a line of antiriot police from the ruling party gathering. We decided to join them. When we moved towards the pavement the ruling party demo was in the middle of the street. We were about 30 – 50 and they were about 200. A while later we were joined by about 10 more. Suddenly I found two of their thugs grab our colleague Khaled and beating him. My friend and I interfered to save him and actually managed to free him out of their hands. I told Khaled to run. I was about to run when I was violently pulled by an officer, who swore in my face and scratched my neck. The marks of that scratch are still evident.

After a short while the same officer with a number of antiriot police and police in plainclothes started pushing us, trying to force us into a narrow passage between two trees. They beat us to make us enter the police circle between the two trees. I felt that they were targeting certain people. They focused on journalists and members of the Egyptian movement for change.

They managed to force us into a very small circle, about 1 square meter. We were about 10 people surrounded by antiriot police, an officer and a private car and behind it the ruling party demonstration. As soon as they closed the circle around us they started beating.

It was then that the horrible harassments started. We were surrounded by 3 or 4 circles of informers and police in plain clothes. Behind them antiriot police. They started grabbing at the women. I felt their hands all over my back. Our male colleagues tried to protect our backs. The thugs started beating them until one of them bled. They took us one by one. I was second. They kicked me; they beat me on the head and on my back until I fell to the ground. I was no longer able to stand.

Inside that circle was also Sarah El Dieb, Abdel Halim Qandil, Tamer Wagieh, Nashwa Talaat and five others, whom I do not know. Before I fell to the ground the informers were grabbing me all over my body. Twice they tried to pull my skirt to tear it. When I fell to the ground one of them threw himself on top of me. He was almost sleeping on top of me. My colleagues pulled me away. Tamer took me away and surrounded me so that they don’t come close again. I was like in a trance. I did not understand what was going on.

I told an officer: We are under arrest right now, right? That means we are in your protection. He did not reply. Although Tamer was trying to protect me still the thugs were reaching out with their hands and fingers and suddenly I felt hands pulling once again at my skirt. This happened to all the women inside the circle. Sarah was in a shock. She started to cry hysterically and the photographer with her begged them to let her go. He told them she was a journalist. No use. As for Nashwa they were trying to strip her of her trousers.

Suddenly I realized a child among us, about 10 years old. It seemed he was one of those street children who just happened to slip into that circle. He was in panic and crying. I screamed to the police that they should let the child out. The child was terrified. He kept screaming: what are they doing this. I lifted him in my arms trying to soothe him. I felt he was going to suffocate. I begged the officer to let him out. The officer took him and literally threw him against the roof of the parking car. He fell on his arm and started screaming loudly. I screamed also, so they started beating me again. Throughout the beating they did not stop the sexual harassment for a second. Even while they were beating they did not stop. They were grabbing at us from outside the circle. At the beginning the harassment was from the plainclothes police. Then we found a man in the middle of our circle carrying a banner” Yes to Mubarak”. He started grabbing at Nashwa and myself. I hit him between his legs. I was beyond myself.

Then the officer brought a horribly looking man. Red eyed and a huge body with 3 or 4 similar men. The officer opened the circle for him and told him: Get in. See which one of them you want. They chose Tamer who was protecting us and pulled him out. I kept pulling at Tamer so that they leave him and that was when I felt severe beating against my back and felt a sharp object, like a pocket knife, cutting through my skirt.

They took Tamer from our midst and kept pulling him away until they dragged him into the ruling party demo and the whole demo started beating him.

When they brought him back they started choosing someone else. We did not know whose turn it will be. I was totally collapsed and was crying hysterically. I was so helpless. I told the officer: If we under arrest, take us away from here. Then an MP came closer. I know his face. He spoke to the officer. The officer told me: we can let you out, provided you join the other demo and chant for Mubarak as you were chanting here. If you refuse, we have orders to kill you today. You do not matter to us, you prostitutes, sons of bitches.

I refused. The officer addressed Tamer and Nashwa and told them the same thing. He opened the circle at their side, and they walked out. Tamer tried to pull me to walk out with him. The officer said: one at a time. After Tamer left, they started grabbing at me again especially that now my skirt was torn. I left the circle alone. As I was walking out I felt their hands all over me. I pushed one of them away, so he kicked me with his boots. They were so incredibly obscene.

I looked up and saw my sister. She had escaped into a nearby building and was screaming because she witnessed what was happening to me.

I walked out heading for the street. I saw the officer bring about five strange looking women. They followed me and started beating me, grabbing at me breasts and trying to pull the skirt off me. I felt I was in a nightmare. I did not know what was going to happen. I fainted. When I opened my eyes I found women trying to carry me to the side of the pavement. They helped me to my feet and told me to run. I found friends who supported me to walk and saw Ramy, our colleague bleeding and crying. I found no words to tell him.

A few minutes later we were walking in a side street from Darieh Saad, looking for a taxi. We saw 5 or 6 men running after us wanting to continue what they had started. They were about to reach out for us, but Ramy and Adel pushed me to the other side. The street was crowded and people were watching so they left.

Then we went to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center. I washed me face, drank tea and sewed my skirt. After about two hours my father, sister and I (both were with me in Darieh Saad) left. On our way we heard that there was a conference in the bar association and that people there have been aggressed. I insisted to go.

Arriving there we found a few people chanting. The police was at the gate and so were a number of young lawyers standing at the gate to prevent the police from entering. Then the ruling party men arrived and the police let them in to get closer to the gate. They started throwing stones and empty bottles and pieces of wood at the protestors. They did not leave until Sameh Ashour, the chair of the bar association, arrived. He negotiated with the police to let us leave without problems.

After the negotiations, the police replaced the ruling party thugs and I left with the lawyers to Baba el Louq.

I don’t think what happened to the women had anything to do with their perception of us as women on the left. We had with us young people from the “youth for change”. They knew that very well. There were people from all political orientations: Nasserites and people from the labor party. Inside the circle there was a veiled woman with us and she suffered the same like us.

It is obvious there was a decision to break the movement. They attacked the girls so that they learn their lesson and never join demonstrations again.

But I shall demonstrate again, even if this happens to me again. On the contrary. What happened makes me insist on demonstrations and that we are part of them. They should never believe that this is a weak point and that they have succeeded in their plan. This is the only way so that they do not repeat that again. The only thin that might clam me down is to maintain our activism. Until now I feel I am not myself. I feel scared. I feel that we as people are looked upon as cheap. How else could this have happened to us?

Yesterday night I woke up in terror several times although I was very tired and dying to sleep. I closed the door with a key for the fist time. I felt that at any moment those ruling party thugs might break into the house and take me. Even in the morning when I was taking the metro to work, I saw young men who looked like them and I felt panic.

I participate din many demonstrations before. I was beaten several times, especially at Ain Shams University. But never did something like this happen to me. I was even arrested before and spent 17 days in prison and spent a whole day at the state security intelligence headquarters, where they beat me and threatened to sexually assault me. But this was the first time that something like this happens. They have turned barbaric. They really believe that we are worth nothing.

Rabab, Faculty

On the day of the referendum regarding the amendment of article 76 of the constitution I headed towards a peaceful gathering in front of Darieh Saad to express my opposition of the amendment and the referendum. I arrived at 11.30 a.m. the police had already started to arrest a group of protestors. I walked around the Darieh for a while and then I headed to where the demo was gathering. I insisted to remain there despite the harassments by the police.

At about 12.10 the security police asked us to leave after threatening to let the national party loose to beat us (about 400 men). We started moving away. While we were leaving I was attacked by the ruling party supporters. They tried to pull me and touched me in different parts of my body in the presence of the police. We ran towards the backstreets followed by the ruling party thugs and plainclothes police carrying walky talkies in their hands. Some of us ran faster. I tripped with a number colleagues and fell. The police pulled us throughout the street into a pharmacy in front of the Dawawin post office. They made the thugs stand in front of the pharmacy, who kept abusing and threatening us of obscene sexual abuse. I called some journalists and activists to come to our help. They came and many of them were beaten in front of the pharmacy. Then they brought Dr. Laila Soueif and her son Alaa into the pharmacy after beating them up brutally. We kept pressuring them to let us go until they sent us an officer from the criminal intelligence. He told us: I have nothing to do with state security police. They are the ones who are doing this to you. I do not want a murder case in my area and I shall secure your exit from here. He then accompanied us out of the pharmacy. We were followed by the ruling party thugs who maintained their verbal abuse and threats until we took a taxi and headed for the press syndicate.

15 minutes after I arrived at the press syndicate I found the same thugs under the leadership of Magdi Allam and Mohamed el Dieb, members of the ruling party coming to the press syndicate. The police allowed them into the police siege which was surrounding us. They started beating us. They occupied the stairs of the syndicate and pushed me and other colleagues of mine to the extent that we had to jump off the stairs trying to find our way to the street. We were about 15 people. The antiriot police led us to the entrance of the syndicate's garage claiming they will protect us. There were two antiriot officers who prevented us from leaving under the pretext of our protection. They asked me not to call anybody to come for help. A few minutes later a senior officer came and whispered something to the officer. I saw the antiriot police withdraw. In the meantime 8 young women managed to escape. However, the police prevented us from leaving with them. The police brought four rows of antiriot police who blocked the exit to the street and the pavement leaving an opening on the right side allowing the ruling party thugs to enter the circle. They pushed us towards them and the thugs started beating us again and the sexual harassment also started again. They put their hands under my clothes and touched me all over my body in the presence of the antiriot police soldiers and officers. I screamed for help. The police officers said: those are our orders. I told them "arrest me, but stop this". They smiled and said nothing. Mohamed Dardiri was with me and so was Gamal Sedki. They were trying to beat the thugs and protect me. Magdi Allam would point to the thugs and they would grab me and say: See what Hosni Mubarak whom you don not like is doing to you!!

There were many witnesses around us. Egyptian and foreign journalists, and they wrote about what happened in the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Post. There were also Hossam El Hamalawy the jounralsit and Nagwa Hassan who tried to save me. I fell on the found and crawled between the legs until I managed to escale the circle. I ran. Some of the police standing outside the siege tried to catch me, running after me and calling me the most horrible names. I ran until I reached Kasr El Nil street, calling fro help from the passers by until the thugs stopped coming after me.

Nora, Researcher

On Wednesday the 25th of May I was subject to abuse, terrorization and intimidation by the supporters of the ruling party in the vicinity of Darih Saad. Security forces stood watching, without any intervention and then disappeared totally when the beatings started. The ruling party supporters climbed on top of a private Lada car that was separating us from the street. They used the most abusive language. They almost destroyed the car (I have a video to prove that). Then they started beating us and that is when we ran towards the pres syndicate.

On the stairs of the syndicate I stood among the demonstrators protesting the referendum. We were surrounded by police force filling the pavement of the d\syndicate. Magdi Allam was standing on the opposite pavement ion the middle of the police. Then he signed to the ruling party thugs coming from Ramsis street. His orders were that they should hurry. He kept signing to them until they arrived. The police cleared an entrance for them on the right side and they began to reach where we stood. They climbed the stairs and the beating started. The police stood watching. (I have pictures to prove that). We retreated but the syndicate security refused to let us in. we moved towards the left and the beating began to come closer. We heard the voice of an officer: Come here and we shall protect you. We began to slide along the marble of the stairs, about one and a half meters high with the help of the officer. The senior official said: we shall protect you. The police surrounded us at the entrance of the garage and refused to let us out so that the thugs would not beat us.

They started letting the women out, two by two. After about 4 women had left, the senior officer said: Open! A friend of mine and myself had already left that circle. The soldiers and the officer beat me with batons and with their hands on my back, shoulders and arms on my way out. My friends remained encircled by the police for about 10 minutes. When they came out their clothes were torn. Three women were sexually harassed by both the police and the thugs. I have pictures for the officers when they were helping us leave the stairs of the syndicate to the entrance of the garage. I have a picture for the senior officer who said he will protect us and then ordered: Open!

Nashwa, Researcher

I was in front of Darieh Saah to participate with the Kefaya movement and many colleagues in the demonstration protesting the amendment of article 76 of the constitution. We gathered a little farther away from the suggested place for the demonstration. Then we headed for the Darih close to the metro station. The police was ready as usual. But there were also the ruling party demos supporting the referendum, a tactic that has been used several times by the government to terrorize its opposition. For 10 minutes things went well. We chanting for Egypt and against Mubarak and other slogans that oppose the regime for the amendment as it has been done.

Suddenly there was a senior police officer attacking our colleague Khaled Abdel Hamid. He was about to hit him. Asmaa, Iman and myself tried to push him away from Kahled so he fell to the ground. Khaled advised us to run. We tried to run. But that senior officer pulled me from my hair. I managed to escape. He ordered a group of people in plainclothes to stop me. He told them: Get this..!

We found a young man, obviously from the ruling party demo because he walked out of their gathering, pull me from my hair. Then there were ten others all of them beating me and touching me all over my body trying to tear my clothes off my body. I was almost naked. They dragged me on the street from my hair and when we got close to the gatherings, one of the officers ordered them to cover me and to get me my shoes. Then they pushed me inside the police circle. I found several of my colleagues in that circle, where they beat us, punched us and hit us with batons for half an hour. Then they let us out one at a time towards the ruling party demo. The ruling party demonstrators beat us too, but after a while the officer told them not to beat me because: “she has had her share”.

Then I went to the press syndicate. My colleagues were sexually harassed. They threw stones and chairs at us. On my way out of the syndicate I took a taxi. A colleague took the taxi with me to protect me. We noticed another taxi following us. It stopped. A man came out of it and introduced himself as a state security intelligence officer. He showed me his ID. His name is Hisham but I failed to see his family name. he told me he does not want to arrest me. But he wants to protect me because the men of the ruling party want to get back at me. His car followed me all over town until I reached the Hisham Mubarak Law Center where the lawyers spoke to him. He received a phone call and then left.

Shaimaa, Journalist, El Dostour newspaper

(From the files of the Human rights association for legal aid)

At about 5 o'clock some of our colleagues told us to leave the bar association since they were expecting an attack by the thugs on the association. I left together with Abir El Askari. We stopped a taxi and asked him to drive away fast. However, an officer blocked the way of the taxi and there were two other police assistants surrounding the taxi. The officer asked the taxi driver not to move, then he called for somebody and told him: bring the women. We saw the women coming towards us. We tried to leave the taxi. The officer, whose name I found out was Nabil Selim from Boulaq Abou El Ela intelligence, held me from my wrist very brutally to the extent that I felt the blood flow stop in my hand. then he pushed me towards the women and told them take her. They pulled me from my clothes and hair. They beat me and tore my clothes and tried to pull down my trousers. I screamed with all my strength. The women had sticks and slippers and were biting me in my neck and I still have the bruises and injuries on my body. When the lawyers in the bar association realized what was happening they came towards me and took me into the bar association. I lost consciousness. There was a doctor at the association. He helped me. I shall file a complaint to the national council for human rights and the national council for women and human rights organizations. I have submitted complaints to international organizations after they had received information regarding what has happened and thy called me.

Abir, Journalist, El Dostour Newspaper

(From the files of the human rights association for legal aid)

I was in the Kefaya demonstration at the bar association. I was standing near the wall of the association at2 p.m. I saw two public transportation buses, a blue police bus and an antiriot police truck stop in Ramsis street. It had members of the ruling party standing next to them. I saw a senior police officer and lawyer Maged el Sherbini, youth secretary general of the ruling party speak to the young men inside the buses and direct them towards the gathering of thugs in front of the press syndicate. They attacked the Kefaya demonstration and attacked the girls randomly. They took off their clothes and tried to molest them. Then they headed towards the bar association and attacked the protestors inside. They threw glass bottled, stones, sticks and iron bars at them. When I saw the thugs come into the bar association I ran towards the roof of the administrative building together with Wael Taufik (my colleague in the newspaper) and Walid Salah, a student. We were met by Ali El Saghir, board member of the bar association and a group of employees who attacked us and was insisting to push us to the ruling party thugs. A number of colleagues interfered and told us to leave. I took a taxi with my colleague Shaimaa. Suddenly we saw an officer stand in front of the taxi and with him a number of assistants who surrounded the taxi. They pulled out Shaimaa and brought a number of women who attacked her and tried to take off her clothes. As for me the police assistants took me to the side of Ramsis street and beat me brutally. They had a state security officer with them in plainclothes and another in uniform. I screamed. My colleagues heard me. In the meantime they were trying to pull my clothes off me. The state security officer said: so that you stop thinking you are a leader. Show me if you will ever dare to join a demonstration again. I have made photos of you and I shall distribute them. He ordered his assistants to drag me on the street and to grab me all over. They pulled me from my leg and I fell on the ground. I tried to scream again but somebody sprayed something in my face and I could no longer scream. Some of the people standing at the bus station interfered and my colleagues came to me rescue. They took us into the bar association again and brought us clothes.

Magda, Physician and human rights activist

As a human rights activists and a founding member of both El Nadim Center for the rehabilitation of victims of violence and the Egyptian Association against torture, I received a message Wednesday morning, the 25th of May 2005, stating that the Kefaya movement has called for a peaceful demonstration in front of Darieh Saad in Mounira to announce its protest regarding the amendment of article 76.

Since we receive hundreds of complaints of state violence against members of the opposition and agasint citizens and since the Egyptian human rights files are full of lists of those violations, I headed for Darieh Saad at 12 noon time on that same day. I left the metro and looked towards the Darieh. There was no demonstration. Instead there was a whole line of antiriot police trucks. At the back of the Darieh close to the bus station I found circles of antiriot police, indicating that some demonstrators are encircled by this police siege. The siege was surrounding the demonstrators. I tried to enter. The police stopped me: Forbidden!! I went to their officer and asked him to let me in. He refused. I tried to talk to him; he turned his back towards me. I went around the other side and found a narrow entrance on the other side of the bus station pavement. I joined the demonstrators. After a few minutes I was informed by one of the demonstrators that three members of the brotherhood have been arrested. They had Mohaemd Abdel Quddus with them, but he was not arrested after he told the police that he was a journalist. The three were taken away and it was possible they were kept at the Mounira police station. After another while I heard slogans and noise. I stood on a chair in the bus stop so that I can see what was happening. I saw microbuses and a public transportation bus and tens of citizens coming out of those cars carrying banners supporting Hosni Mubarak and pictures of him. Another banner carried the name of Mohamed el Dieb.

It was a strange suspicious scene. Some of the men were well dressed and carrying microphones. The others' clothes and faces were different. Their faces were covered with scars. They looked like thugs. Among those strong me was a large number of young men, 18 at most, who looked destitute and anemic.

At an incredibly fast pace orders were given to the soldiers to withdraw leaving the small group of demonstrators face to face with the ruling party supporters. They started chanting slogans in support of Mubarak followed by verbal abuse of the demonstrators using obscene language and accusing them of being agents. Some of the thugs climbed on top of a parking private yellow car and tore away one of the banners of Kefaya. They kept stamping it with their feet while continuing their abusive language, using obscene hand and finger gestures. At the same time the well-to-do Mubarak supporters were moving the microphones between them chanting and giving orders to the dozens of thugs. One of the thugs jumped from the top of the car unto one of the demonstrators, followed by several others. The demonstrators tried to save their colleague from their hands. It was obvious there was a coordination between the police and the ruling party to turn the day into a massacre. So the demonstrators decided to withdraw and head for the pres syndicate.

Most of Kefaya demonstrators left the area. I chose not to follow so that I can make sure that everybody has left for fear that the police might kidnap those who stay behind. I only moved away from that pavement to the opposite one. At that point I heard that Dr. Laila Soueif, Rabab, and Alaa are held by the police at a nearby pharmacy. With me was my colleague Dr. Aida Seif el Dawla, and two colleagues. We asked the colleagues to let me and Aida go to the pharmacy to check out the situation. We were trying to see what we could do. We thought that the thugs would not attack us if they saw us heading for the pharmacy. They had already moved away from the Darieh area. We kept asking in the pharmacies present in the area until we reached Iman pharmacy in front of the Dawawin post office. We found those thugs in front of the pharmacy in a new demonstration with no motive except to terrorize the three people held within it. The thugs were not alone. Among them and surrounding them were antiriot police, officers in black uniform, others in white uniform; all of them were standing there watching what was going on; just watching. None of them moved to stop the thugs or order them to leave or to liberate the colleagues held in the pharmacy. Together with Aida we entered into the circle in the direction of the pharmacy. There we found a row of ruling party men blocking the entrance. We asked to get in to buy some medicines. They refused. They said there is no medicine here. What brought you here? The country if full of pharmacies!! Immediately a round faced man, wearing medical glasses, which failed to hide the hatred in his eyes, grabbed Aida who stood closer to him that I did and screamed: Traitors! Spies! If you do not like it here why don’t you leave the country? Leave the country! Leave Egypt! Traitors! And that was the sign to begin the beating. Everybody around us started beating. Not only those immediately around us, but also those in the second, third and last row. From behind me somebody his me and pulled at my skirt trying to strip me of my clothes. I held to my skirt. He put his hand between my legs and touched me from behind and front. I screamed. I lifted my left arm trying to push him away. A hand grabbed at my arm trying to steal my watch. And since that hand came from the very last row, it only managed to break the watch, which fell to the ground. I looked around for Aida. It was obvious she was suffering something similar. She was screaming at one of them: how dare you? I pulled her and with great difficulty we got out of that devil’s circle. I went to an officer in white uniform: I told him there is doctor being held inside that pharmacy and those thugs are blocking the entrance. Please get her out of there. They could kill her. Very calmly he replied: I shall bring her out when they leave. How do you expect me to pass through all this??? You leave and when things calm down I shall then let her go. I told him: when things become calmer we shall not be in need for your help; and we shall not leave here before we are sure she and those with her are all right. We have been humiliated in front of you. How can you leave her among them with no protection? He puffed in impatience and did not move. Anther officer standing close, turned around and left. Was it out of embarrassment or so as not to involve himself in an argument with us?

We remained close to the pharmacy; our backs towards a closed shop waiting to see what will happen to those held inside the pharmacy. The verbal obscenities did not stop for a second. The same officer in white uniform once again told us to leave. We insisted that we shall not leave before we are sure that our colleagues are out of the pharmacy and safe. We spent about half an hour in this hell. Suddenly one of the ruling party men shouted through his microphone: OK. Everybody to the cars. We are heading for the press syndicate. They started to leave and we received a phone call that our colleagues have been released by the thugs.

From there I went to El Nadim Center to draft a statement and send it to human rights organizations and the national council for human rights. Before I had finished the statement I was receiving tens of phone calls from demonstrators at the press syndicate. They said that hundreds of thugs, much more than those present at Darieh Saad are present at the press syndicate; that the police is helping them take over the place and beat the protestors; that several women demonstrators have been dragged, beaten, molested and their clothes torn; that the police is watching and refusing to interfere!! How would it interfere, if it is the same police that has cleared the place for those thugs and gave them their orders. I received another call from lawyers at the Zeinhom police station. Our friend Safaa called. She said that they are being attacked by thugs at the police station, which insists to deny the presence of our arrested colleagues in its custody. She told me about a totally new development in the day: that they were attacked by a herd of cows and sheep accompanied by butchers from the nearby butcher house. During the attack they pushed the arrested demonstrators into a car which drove away from the station to an unknown location!!

Aida, Faculty and human rights activist

I received an invitation calling upon all who do not agree to the referendum regarding the amendment of article 76 of the constitution to gather at Darieh Saad at 12 noon time on the 25th of May 2005. Since I am one of many who do not agree to the way the referendum was organized, nor the amendment of the article, I headed for the point of gathering at Darieh Saad in my car at about quarter to 12. I found the place totally surrounded by police while a few activists of the Egyptian movement for change were standing on the pavement encircled by the plice from all side. I could not move ahead with the car easily since the traffic police were stopping the traffic to allow antiriot police trucks to park in front of the area where the demonstrators were gathering. I drove to a near by street, left the car there and returned walking to the point of gathering. It took me about 10 minutes to get there. When I arrived it was total chaos. People were being beaten. I could hear the screams of women. I heard that Mohamed Abdel Quddus was beaten and that a number of members of the labor party were arrested. The police was surrounding the place. There were different kinds of police: state security intelligence officers whose faces were known to us, officers in uniform and antiriot police. After about 15 minutes we saw the traffic police stop the traffic again and clear the way for more than one bus carrying the banners supporting Mubarak signed by Mohamed El Dieb and filled with young men. They left the buses and moved towards the protestors in the middle of the street led by a child, whom they carried on their shoulders, not more than ten years old, chanting in support of Mubarak. They stood in the middle of the street for some time, chanting for Mubarak, swearing at the protestors, showing them the finger and accusing them of treason. Then they began to encircle the pavement after the antiriot police had cleared the way for them. The came close to the protestors, mingled among them and started pushing them around and abusing them while the others held a microphone and stepped on top of a private yellow Lada car that was separating the protestors from the men, some of whom wore a badge: National Democratic Party. I saw a citizens surrounded by a number of men in plainclothes. They were brutally beating him and then they took him away. Mohamed Hashem tried to save the man and pull him back. The police pushed him away. I saw a journalist trying to make a photo. Two men attacked him and took the camera.

I stood on the opposite pavement and saw a number of demonstrators running and police in uniform in addition to others in plainclothes running after them. I saw my colleague Magda among the demonstrators. I went to her and suggested that we go to the press syndicate since it is impossible to continue trying among all those thugs. We were about to leave for the syndicate when we heard voices saying that they have arrested Tamer and Iman and broke Wael’s camera. At that moment we received a phone call from a friend who said that she was being held at Iman pharmacy in Nubar street and asking for help to get her out of there. Then another call came saying that Dr. Laila Soueif, assistant professor at the Faculty of Science at Cairo university and her son, Alaa Seif are held in front of the post office. We moved towards the parallel street asking for the pharmacy. Suddenly we found ourselves in the middle of dozens of antiriot police running in the same direction. At the pharmacy we found a huge crowd of thugs standing on the pavement surrounded by police in uniform giving them orders where to move. I saw Dr. Laila Soueif and her son being pushed towards the pharmacy and then taken inside the crowd. Magda and I moved towards the entrance of the pharmacy. We were met by many men standing in front of the entrance, preventing us from entry and using the most obscene language. We asked to enter. Once again they refused and the beating started. We were surrounded by thugs from all sides. They kept beating us and pushing us from one group to the other, using dirty language and dirty accusations. Then I felt several hands all over my body. One of them pulled at my shirt and I felt a hand inside my shirt on my breast. I screamed at them and then started beating again. I looked around for a way out. I was afraid we might fall, for I thought if we did we shall be killed under their feet. I looked around me and saw two officers. I shouted at them: You are watching? Stop them! It was then that one of the officers beat me violently on my shoulder and back and pushed me once again in the middle of the circle of thugs saying: so that you stop coming to where men are!!

They were so violent and sexually abusive that one of them finally said: No no this is too much. He pushed us towards the wall so that now we came to stand between the wall and the thugs separated from them only by this one man. A police officer came and asked us to leave and we said we shall not leave before they release those who are held at the pharmacy. He said: we cannot release them because the pharmacy is blocked by thugs!!?? We insisted to wait until they leave. We were joined by our friend Wael Khalil who also insisted to stay until we are ensured of the safety of those held in the pharmacy. This went on for about a quarter of an hour. The thugs were all over the place, chanting Mubarak and making obscene signs at us.

Then they decided to head for the press syndicate: A middle aged man, heavily built, carrying a badge of the national democratic party, and a microphone saying: Follow me now to the press syndicate. They started marching behind him away from the place. And we knew that our friends had left the pharmacy. The laptop of Alaa was stolen.

I went to the press syndicate in a taxi. Ramsis street was blocked so I stopped the taxi at its corner and walked. I saw a large number of youth, not older than 16 or 17 years, climb off a bus under the 6th of October bridge, carrying pictures of Mubarak and following an older man who was wearing the ruling party badge. They were heading for the press syndicate.

Arriving close to the press syndicate I realized it was impossible to get closer. Thepolice was everywhere preventing people from coming near, ordering them to move on. I insisted to stand at the corner. A rude man came towards me ordering me to leave, threatening that the water cannons will start now. I refused and told him that he has no right to tell me where to stand and I shall stay to see what will happen to our colleagues. He said: you can watch that later on el Jazeera! More people gathered insisting to stay and not to leave. And more plain clothes police gathered with their arms and fists ready for use. A senior officer in plain clothes came and said: leave them. They will stay and they are responsible for what will happen.

After a few minutes I started receiving calls from women friends and colleagues asking for help because horrible things were happening to them. About 15 minutes later we met with some of them at a nearby café and the harassment stories began.

I went to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center to consult my colleague Ahmed Seif about how we shall deal with his. A woman entered the office. She was in a total nervous breakdown, crying and accompanied by three young men, one of them without a shirt. That woman was journalist Nawal who was heading for the press syndicate to attend a training course. The was brutally aggressed and her clothes were torn. That young man had given her his shirt to wear.