The Egyptian military’s feigned neutrality in the face of massive public protest has taken more than a few hits since the uprisings began, notably with reports of them disappearing top journalists and NGO figures off the streets of Cairo.
But this was apparently only the tip of the iceberg, as The Guardian reports testimony that proves hundreds if not thousands of protesters and organizers have been detained and subjected to torture by the military since the protests began.
Reports suggest that the Egyptian military has been on a concerted mission to disappear dissidents off the streets for quite some time, and that people were sometimes detained for such minor offenses as “talking back at an army officer.”
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, which was the subject of much early TV coverage of the protests, appears to have been turned into a makeshift torture center for the army, with electric shocks administered as soldiers demand to know whether protesters are working for Hamas, or Israel, or both.
I can understand a nation's military taking security matters into its own hands- that's the easy part. What I don't get, though, is the last paragraph of this report.
Why would Israeli operatives be supporting the revolution? Or Hamas, for that matter?
Israel has no motive- any unrest in Egypt that might threaten the peace between them is A Bad Thing from the Israeli perspective. What could Israel hope to gain? (It does raise the issue of whether or not Mubarak had 'gone soft' and wasn't tough enough on Gaza and the West Bank issues, though.)
Hamas? Why would they stir up trouble, knowing the Muslim Brotherhood (whom Hamas is often at odds with) might step into the power vacuum and assume control?
While would hope the Egyptian Army was above the torture thing (yes, I know- if we do it so can they) but I'm just not clear on the "why" part of it with regard to the motives noted in the piece.
I think they are doing that because they are always doing that.
Its probably just routine and they dont know anything else what they could do.
W
I can understand the way the military is reacting till the overthrough of Mubarek they are not engels and belong to same class of torturer as the others.
Everything will come out and will be no good for the govt. then the slogan will start for revenge and cry for Hague trial.
That’s what I am afraid of, thinking that Muslim Brotherhood assuming the power, after all they can create what is called "a political power vacuum" where such tactics were used by the Iranian regime, when they divided the Iranian people uprising into fractions as left, right and liberals.
There was a true democracy in Iran for almost a year and people where given all kind of promises that Islamic Regime is out of the question, meanwhile the THUGS were out and injuring people, then the political vacuum started and a dictatorial Islamic Regime was born killing many of those whom were against a stat of a Islamic regime yet participated in Iranian peoples democratic uprising and democratic demands.