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One death and 11 detained in Menouf police station

31/7/2004
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) is extremely concerned by the findings of a fact finding mission it send to the village of Shubra Beloula, Menoufiyya governorate, to investigate the detention of some 21 citizens in Menouf police station.

Background
Shubra Beloula is located 5 km from Menouf in Menoufiyya governorate. Six years ago a dispute broke out between the family of Sayed Hamed Abu Hussein, a member of the Shura Council and the Shadeyda family.

Facts
On Wednesday the 20th July 2004 another dispute broke out between the two families on the subject of the irrigation of fields belonging to the two families which they eventually resolved. However, the following day matters deteriorated and culminated in Samy Atwa Shadid's death. Police stationed at Shubra Beloula police station and members of the Menouf Investigations Unit immediately arrived on the scene and indiscriminately arrested members of the Shadeyda family. In total some 21 individuals, including 3 women were arrested and detained in Menouf police station without any legal
justification. Five members of the family were charged with disorderly conduct and presented to the prosecutor's office who ordered that they be detained. Sixteen individuals were detained in Menouf police station without being presented with a charge or being presented to the prosecutor's office. They were not allowed any communication with their families and were denied food and medicine, despite the fact that some of the detainees are over 60 years old.

The three women detainees were beaten, with the result that one woman suffered heavy bleeding for 4 days continuously. At dawn on Tuesday the 27th July Nabawy Gaber Shadid, went into a diabetic coma as a result of being denied medicine. He remained in the coma for four hours without receiving any medical attention and died at 6 a.m. After his death the three were women - one of which was the deceased's daughter - and Fathy Bandary Shadid (65 years old) were released. The latter collected Nabawy Gaber Shadid's body and began burial arrangements. Nabawy's funeral was conducted surrounded by tight security by members of the security forces.

Eye witnesses
EOHR's fact finding mission heard the testimonies of individuals who had been detained in Menouf police station and the testimonies of members Shadeyda family.

Fathy Bandary Shadid
A 65 year old farmer who was among those detained without being presented to the prosecutor's office.

A dispute with Sayed Hamed Abu Hussein's family broke out on Tuesday 20th July. The next day we settled the dispute but the following day we found that the Abu Hussein family had taken our tractor and were trying to break our irrigation machinery. They had people and weapons with them. Things got really serious and shots were fired and Samy Atwa Shadid died after he received a bullet in the head. After that the Government came and all the Shadeyda family were arrested. Some of them were released the next day or the day following and some of them are still in detention now. When they arrested me they told me that they wanted someone to testify to the events. They took me to Shubra Beloula police station and then to Menouf Investigations headquarters were they kept me upstairs until I was released yesterday, Tuesday 27th July. In the morning they took me downstairs and told me that my cousin Nabawy had collapsed in a diabetic coma at 2 a.m. from which he never woke up and that he had died at 6 a.m. He died because he wasn't given insulin from the day he was detained.
After that I collected the body and carried out the burial procedures. They released the women because one of them was the deceased's daughter.

Fayqa Nabawy Gaber Shadid
A 27 year old housewife. Daughter of the deceased.
On the 21st July my father came to my house to check one me after he had heard about the problems which happened the previous day. After he entered the house forces from Menouf Police Investigations Unit burst into the house. They arrested me, my father and by sister-in-law Nagfa Abdel Maaty. They took us to Menouf police station and detained us without any reason at all.

Despite the fact that Nagfa is pregnant they beat her while she was in detention which made her bleed heavily for four days continuously until we were released on the 27th July. The Head of the Investigations Unit let us go without giving us any reasons for our release. I asked about my father but nobody answered me. I was shocked to find out that he had died in detention after going into a diabetic coma and being denied treatment.

Ibrahim Mahmoud Ibrahim
Researcher at Al-Azhar.
The disputes between the Abu Hussein and Shadeyda families are very old. From what I know about the subject Nabawy had suffered from diabetes for 10 years but was denied medicine from the first day of his arrest on the 21st July. He tried repeatedly to take him insulin but the police officers refused to take it until Tuesday the 27th July at 10 a.m. We were very relieved when they took it but later learnt that Nabawy had died at 6 a.m.

Names of detainees in Menouf police station

Name	Age	Profession	Remarks
Nabawy Gaber Shadid	60		Died in detention after falling into a diabetic coma and being denied medicine.
Nabawy Atwa Shadid	81		Presented to the prosecutor's office.
Salah Nabawy Atwa Shadid	55	Labourer	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Eid Nabawy Atwa Shadid	35	Labourer	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Mohamed Ramadan Nabawy Shadid	16	Student	Diabetic. Not presented to the prosecutor's office.
Fathy al-Bandary Shadid	65	Farmer	Released on the 27/7/2004. Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Ahmed Fathy al-Bandary Shadid	40	Agricultural supervisor	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Yasser Tawfiq Abdel Hamid	30	Farmer	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Ahmed Diab Zaki Shadid	35	Carpenter	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Naser Abdel Hady Gaber Shadid	30	Farmer
Atwa Nabawy Shadid	45	Agricultural supervisor	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Gaber Salah Abdel Robu			Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Ashraf Hassan Zaki	40	Labourer
Naser Hussein Zaki	35	Labourer
Hamada Mohamed Hassan Zaki	18	Student	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Yousry al-Nabawy Abdel Hamid			Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Magdy Shibl Atwa Shadid	30	Farmer	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Abdel Mansaf Mohamed Gaber	55	Farmer
Nagfa Abdel Maaty Amara Shadid	23	Housewife	Released on the 27/7/2004. Not presented to the prosecutor's office.
Fayqa Benawy Gaber	28	Housewife	Not presented to the prosecutor's office
Nassma al-Nabawy Shadid	30	Housewife	Not presented to the prosecutor's office.

EOHR demands an immediate investigation into Nabawy Gaber Shadid's death and the detention of 14 others without just cause. It calls for their release as their lives could be in danger. It urges the prosecutor general to put into effect its role of inspecting places of detention.

EOHR furthermore reasserts the need to annul the State of Emergency, a major cause of human rights violations in Egypt. It urges the Legislative Council to review all legislation on torture and detention to bring it into conformity with international instruments ratified by the Egyptian Government.