A tragedy of an Egyptian — American detainee tried to commit suicide
31/7/2019
Omar Mazen — AJ. Net
Egyptian-American Khaled Hassan, who has been in detention for a year and a half, tried to commit suicide by cutting off his left wrist before being rescued by colleagues. They alerted Tora prison authorities, the Nadeem Center for Combating Violence and Torture in Egypt said.
Al-Jazeera.net learned that the 41-year-old man was transferred to the prison hospital shortly after noon on Monday, where he was treated, had his wounds bandaged. He had been unconscious.
Hassan tried to cut off his left wrist with a sharp tool, taking advantage of his colleagues’ attention being attracted to other things. His colleagues were surprised by the blood, which caused a state of extreme panic. Nadeem Center added that Hassan was transferred to the prison hospital where he was provided with blood and necessary solutions.
A second case
Nadeem said a message leaked from inside Tora prison revealed another case similar to Hassan’s; Osama Murad tried to slaughter himself because of banning visits to him and tighten restrictions against him inside the prison.
An informed source told Aljazeera.net of increasing restrictions against Hassan after a news report, including a video, of Aljazeera.net about his situation in the prison.
According to the source, his brother, who lives in the United States, tried to visit him during last month, but the authorities refused to allow him despite his attempt four times.
It is noteworthy that the Egyptian law provides for the right of prisoners to weekly family visits during the stages of litigation and before sentencing.
Hassan’s harassment, according to the source, has extended periodic and intense searches of his cell and stripping him of his belongings.
Hassan, who was taking antidepressant medications before his arrest, told Al Jazeera.net that national security officers in prison deliberately harassed him in particular, and tortured him psychologically through pressure on him and his cellmates.
The investigation of Al-Jazeera.net exposed the circumstances of Hassan’s arrest in Alexandria a year and a half ago, where he was subjected to the most severe forms of torture and physical and sexual abuse.
Al Jazeerz.net said he was forced to confess on fabricated charges, including collaborating with a foreign country, joining the Islamic State, financing terrorist organizations, and planning to bomb military installations.
On October 11, Human Rights Watch issued a statement on Hassan’s case, but authorities formally denied through The Public Authority of Information that he had been detained for a long period between January 8 and May 3, 2018.
Source: Aljazeera.net (Original Content -Arabic)
