Commenting on the attempted suicide of Khalid Hassan… Washington: Security of our citizens abroad is one of our priorities.
4/8/2019
The US State Department has refused to comment on the attempted suicide of its citizen Khaled Hassan, Egyptian origin, who was detained in Egypt for a year and a half, at his prison on Monday. “We are aware of these reports and … we do not want to comment on them out of respect for Hassan’s privacy,” a ministry official said.
The official said his country was continuing to follow up Hassan’s case “closely,” expressing concern of the President Donald Trump administration about the health and safety of its citizens, stressing continued contact with his family and “providing all possible consular services.”
After showing “annoyance by the allegations of torture,” the US official called on the Egyptian government to provide humane treatment to Hassan and all detainees. “We are in contact with the Egyptian authorities on the issue, and will continue closely on that, because the security and safety of the American citizens abroad is our number one priority” he said.
Nadeem Center for Combating Violence and Torture in Egypt announced in a statement last Tuesday that Hassan tried to commit suicide before being rescued by his colleagues.
His colleagues alerted the authorities of Tora prison. Al-Jazeera Net learned that the 41-year-old man was transferred to the prison hospital shortly afternoon Monday. He was treated after he had been unconscious.
Hassan tried to cut his left wrist with a sharp tool, taking advantage of his colleagues’ working on other things. They were surprised by his blood which caused great panic. Nadeem’s statement added that Hassan was transferred to the prison hospital, provided with blood and necessary solutions. There were two cuts found in his body.
An investigation by al-Jazeera Net presented the circumstances of Hassan’s arrest in Alexandria a year and a half ago. He was subjected to the most severe forms of torture, physical and sexual abuse, forcing him to confess on fabricated charges, including collaborating with a foreign country, joining the Islamic State, financing terrorist organizations, and planning to bomb military installations.
Source: Aljazeera.net (Original Content -Arabic)
