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From: Nagikheir@aol.com
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Egypt: Amnesty International condemns assault on one of its staff
members
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 12:32:58 EST

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE16 November 2000
AI Index MDE 12/036/2000 - News Service Nr. 218

 Egypt: Amnesty International condemns assault on one of its staff members

Vincent Del Buono, Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International,
today wrote to the Egyptian authorities to express the organization's grave
concerns about the assault on Carsten Jurgensen, an Amnesty International's
staff member who was on a routine fact-finding mission researching on the
organization's human rights concerns in Egypt.

 On 14 November, Carsten Jurgensen who works at Amnesty
International's
International Secretariat in London, visited the polling station of the
Khalid Ben al-Walid school in the parliamentary election district of Shubra
al-Khaima / Da'irat al-Ula where allegations of human rights violations,
including arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment, had been reported. When
trying to enter the area around the polling station, he found that the
entire area was blocked by security officers. He clearly identified himself
as an Amnesty International delegate to one of the plainclothes state
security officers and was allowed access to the area.

 Once he gained access to the area, Mr Jurgensen was approached by
approximately four plainclothes men asking him to hand over his video
camera. When he refused to hand over the camera about seven men in
plainclothes, who refused to identify themselves, dragged him off to a side
road. He was then pushed to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked
in the head and shoulders. His belongings, including the video camera, were
initially seized but were later returned to him with the exception of his
mobile phone, video tape and camera film. He asked to talk to a senior
officer to report the attack but to no avail.

 Given that the area around the Khalid Ben al-Walid school was sealed
and that there was a large and visible police presence, Amnesty
International fears that the attack against Carsten Jurgensen may have been
carried out by security officers or with their complicity.

 The ill-treatment of Carsten Jurgensen is part of a wider pattern of
harassment and attacks, particularly on journalists covering the elections.
A number of civilians including children have reportedly been killed and
dozens injured by members of the security forces.

 "We urgently call on the Egyptian authorities to conduct a prompt,
thorough and impartial investigation into these events, including the
attack on Carsten Jurgensen, and to bring those responsible to justice,"
Vincent Del Buono said.

\ENDS
public document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in
London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW web :
http://www.amnesty.org


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