Below are testimonies collected by Front to Defend Egypt Protestors:
1- Injy Hamdi, 25.
We were walking on Falaki Street. They surrounded us from the very beginning, Central Security forces, officers and others in plainclothes. They disbursed us and we walked in small groups of 4 or 5 individuals until we reached the Shura Council. They beat and shoved us into a corner and started arresting one protestors every few minutes. Whenever one of us started chanting slogans they would take him. Each time they took one of us we tried to pull him away so the beating would increase. One of them pulled me by the hair outside of the cordon. I was wearing a cap and he pulled it off my head. He twisted my arm and beat me. Some youths tried to intervene but they beat them brutally. Even the officers were participating in the beating, as well as some thugs and police informants in plain clothes. A colleague of ours name Amal Sharaf had her arm broken and she went home.
All the protestors that were caught were beaten and taken on board the police trucks. I fell in front of the Shura Council and officers repeatedly slapped me in the face and were about to hit me with a baton but my colleague Mustafa Al-Shami protected me so he received the beatings instead of me and then was arrested.
There were six of us left. We stood on the pavement opposite the council and chanted slogans so they came to beat us. The men were hit by batons and Central Security forces were chasing protestors on the street. They disbursed us until we were able to come [to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center]
I witness the detention of: Amr Ossama, student at Tanta University; Mohmaed Souka, student; Mustafa Al-Shami, they arrested him outside Hardeez restaurant; Mahmoud Sami, student at Ain Shams University (I saw him receiving beatings with batons) and Mohamed Awad.
2. Heba Qura’aa, 26, Architect. Activist with the Al-Baradei campaign
We were in front of the Agricultural Credit Bank. [Police] beat me in the arm. They took my colleague Tamer Abdel-Wahab and tore his clothes. He was dragged o the floor and I ran after him. I was shoved and one of them trampled me and pushed me to the floor and two of them in plainclothes kept kicking me. They took Tamer to the garage of the Bank. I was crying so people gathered and took me away. Policemen kept shoving me and saying “go away, we’re going to empty the street. We have to empty the street.” I stood on the other side of the street until a police truck came and started pushing protestors on board. They were arresting one protestor and then wait for 20 minutes before making the next arrest, to prevent us from noticing the arrests. I was hit in my head and my arm. I have wounds in my left hand and bruises in my back and a big, extremely painful bruise in my right knee.
3. Assmaa Mahfouz
We were beaten the whole time. They kept beating and disbursing us. We were chanting slogans. He arrived at the Mogamma’ Al-Tahrir building. There were countless officers beating and shoving us. They brought the police truck and started loading protestors inside them. I saw a girl being arrested and had an argument with the police officer to try and pull her back. Afterwards I was walking on the phone when someone came and hit me in the face and snatched the mobile. I called Vodaphone and disable the number.
4. Nada Taima, 27 years, teacher
It all began in the morning. I was alone in Ramsis square, was just leaving the bus, when i was suddenly surrounded by 8 men who shouted at me that I should go away. They asked me if I was a member of the 6th of April group and I said no. They kept shouting and they said I should go away. I told them I am free to stand wherever I want. The officer came and said that there is going to be trouble and that I better leave for my own good.
Then I went to the Shura council. They were arresting people from our midst. They also took Ingy and beat her. I was trying to defend Ingy. They hit me on the head from behind. It was a man in plainclothes. My fiancée was standing behind me. He was also beaten. We ran. We joined one of our colleagues and then came here (HMLC)
5. Doaa Mohamed Ahmed, Student, Business, October University
From the very beginning the Tahrir square was cordoned. It was forbidden to stand anywhere. We walked in small groups to the Shura council. We were at first dispersed and then we gathered on the pavement opposite the council. They surrounded us and began the beating. The officers were pushing people on the pavement towards the wall. They were screaming at us that we should leave or else will be beaten by clubs. The beating was continuous. They took the cameras and broke them. Anybody who was taking pictures was beaten and aggressed. Anybody who was chanting was arrested. We were all beaten at the shura council. I was beaten as well. My friend was screaming. Every time she screamed they would beat her more. They began to disperse us and run after each of us individually. At Hardee's we found policewomen who ran after us until Talaat Harb Square. They were abusive. I was twice beaten on myback. I was pushed several times. Even older women were beaten.
6. Essam Mohamed, student, faculty of law, Ain Shams University
It was 12.15. We were close to the Shura council. The police cordoned us. We stood holding each other's hands to prevent them from dispersing us. Still some security men in plain clothes managed to enter in our midst. They would push individual demonstrators outside our circle and beat them up and then take them to the police trucks. There were five or six rows of central security surrounding us. They tried to pull me outside the circle but my friends held me back. I saw people being beaten and arrested: Ahmed Samir, student, faculty of art, Ain Shams university - Mahmoud Sami, faculty of commerce - Mohamed Ahmed Sarhan, faculty of engineering, Ain Shams - Mostafa Fouad, faculty of law, Ain Shams - Mohamed Fouad, faculty of law, Ain Shams
7. Selwan Mohamed El Said
We began at the Sura council. Then we tried to escape from the police. We went to the agricultural credit bank and at the end we went to that park opposite El Tahrir building. All the time the police would pick one after the other and arrest them. The officers would push the central security forces towards us. They first beat us with batons on our legs and then they began beating on the head. I was beaten by a club on my arm and back (swollen left wrist)
8. Basma Fouad, Student
On our way out of the metro towards Hardee's one of us was arrested. His name was Mostafa Fouad. His brother was also arrested, Mahmoud Fouad. They threatened me that if I do not go away I shall be arrested. I went away and when I tried to return again they shouted that I should leave and that there is no demonstration. I ran and went to the Shura council. About 15 people were arrested from there. One fo them had his clothes completely torn. They cordoned us and said whoever will not leave will be arrested. They then opened a small gap in the cordon and ordered us to leave. Anybody who walked through was beaten. They first let the women through. I was beaten with a club on my arm and back. The same thing happened with Aya Gamal. I saw her because were were standing close to each other. My back and arm hurt terribly.
9. Inas Abdel Karim, engineer, member of El Gabha Party
We began at the Shura council. We were about 20 people. We were surrounded by police. They took two of us to a side street and started beating them. There were many screams. One of them had his clothes torn completely. There was a journalist standing there. The police pushed her and she fell. We remained surrounded by the police. They took a few to another side street and beat them with batons, those black batons. Then people went to the Tahrir square. Several were arrested. I saw two or three being arrested. There were microbuses with no number plates and dark glass. One of the arrested was taken in a private car and the rest were taken in the transfer trucks of the police.
10. Demonstrator, 24 years
They arrested two of us and I saw them beat them and tear their clothes. I didn't see them after that. We returned to the Tahrir building. They surrounded us, central security and state security. We gathered in Talaat Hard square. They followed us to the square.
11. Mahmoud Fawzi
I was in the first row in front of the Shura council. I was beaten there. The security people were getting more and more and the informers were surrounding us from all sides. They would come in our midst and would pick up somebody, take him outside the circle and beat him up. They took five or six this way. We dispersed and walked in small groups until the bank opposite the council. We heard women screaming. They then took the men in the garage opposite the council and beat them. They cordoned the garage so that they can have good control over them. Until then I was not beaten yet. Only abuses and obscenities. Then I tried to defend somebody who was surrounded by five informers. They took the young man and threw him down the street. They then surrounded me and kicked me with their boots. People helped and pulled me away. We walked until the AUC and found them behind us. They kept arresting people from the street.
12. Aya Gamal El Din Haroun
There were so many officers. They arrested Mostafa Fouad. There was somebody in plainclothes following us. We said that the demo is over. Iman Hussein saw me while I was being beaten. There was somebody beating me on my back. I would have fallen if Iman had not supported me.
1- Injy Hamdi, 25.
We were walking on Falaki Street. They surrounded us from the very beginning, Central Security forces, officers and others in plainclothes. They disbursed us and we walked in small groups of 4 or 5 individuals until we reached the Shura Council. They beat and shoved us into a corner and started arresting one protestors every few minutes. Whenever one of us started chanting slogans they would take him. Each time they took one of us we tried to pull him away so the beating would increase. One of them pulled me by the hair outside of the cordon. I was wearing a cap and he pulled it off my head. He twisted my arm and beat me. Some youths tried to intervene but they beat them brutally. Even the officers were participating in the beating, as well as some thugs and police informants in plain clothes. A colleague of ours name Amal Sharaf had her arm broken and she went home.
All the protestors that were caught were beaten and taken on board the police trucks. I fell in front of the Shura Council and officers repeatedly slapped me in the face and were about to hit me with a baton but my colleague Mustafa Al-Shami protected me so he received the beatings instead of me and then was arrested.
There were six of us left. We stood on the pavement opposite the council and chanted slogans so they came to beat us. The men were hit by batons and Central Security forces were chasing protestors on the street. They disbursed us until we were able to come [to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center]
I witness the detention of: Amr Ossama, student at Tanta University; Mohmaed Souka, student; Mustafa Al-Shami, they arrested him outside Hardeez restaurant; Mahmoud Sami, student at Ain Shams University (I saw him receiving beatings with batons) and Mohamed Awad.
2. Heba Qura’aa, 26, Architect. Activist with the Al-Baradei campaign
We were in front of the Agricultural Credit Bank. [Police] beat me in the arm. They took my colleague Tamer Abdel-Wahab and tore his clothes. He was dragged o the floor and I ran after him. I was shoved and one of them trampled me and pushed me to the floor and two of them in plainclothes kept kicking me. They took Tamer to the garage of the Bank. I was crying so people gathered and took me away. Policemen kept shoving me and saying “go away, we’re going to empty the street. We have to empty the street.” I stood on the other side of the street until a police truck came and started pushing protestors on board. They were arresting one protestor and then wait for 20 minutes before making the next arrest, to prevent us from noticing the arrests. I was hit in my head and my arm. I have wounds in my left hand and bruises in my back and a big, extremely painful bruise in my right knee.
3. Assmaa Mahfouz
We were beaten the whole time. They kept beating and disbursing us. We were chanting slogans. He arrived at the Mogamma’ Al-Tahrir building. There were countless officers beating and shoving us. They brought the police truck and started loading protestors inside them. I saw a girl being arrested and had an argument with the police officer to try and pull her back. Afterwards I was walking on the phone when someone came and hit me in the face and snatched the mobile. I called Vodaphone and disable the number.
4. Nada Taima, 27 years, teacher
It all began in the morning. I was alone in Ramsis square, was just leaving the bus, when i was suddenly surrounded by 8 men who shouted at me that I should go away. They asked me if I was a member of the 6th of April group and I said no. They kept shouting and they said I should go away. I told them I am free to stand wherever I want. The officer came and said that there is going to be trouble and that I better leave for my own good.
Then I went to the Shura council. They were arresting people from our midst. They also took Ingy and beat her. I was trying to defend Ingy. They hit me on the head from behind. It was a man in plainclothes. My fiancée was standing behind me. He was also beaten. We ran. We joined one of our colleagues and then came here (HMLC)
5. Doaa Mohamed Ahmed, Student, Business, October University
From the very beginning the Tahrir square was cordoned. It was forbidden to stand anywhere. We walked in small groups to the Shura council. We were at first dispersed and then we gathered on the pavement opposite the council. They surrounded us and began the beating. The officers were pushing people on the pavement towards the wall. They were screaming at us that we should leave or else will be beaten by clubs. The beating was continuous. They took the cameras and broke them. Anybody who was taking pictures was beaten and aggressed. Anybody who was chanting was arrested. We were all beaten at the shura council. I was beaten as well. My friend was screaming. Every time she screamed they would beat her more. They began to disperse us and run after each of us individually. At Hardee's we found policewomen who ran after us until Talaat Harb Square. They were abusive. I was twice beaten on myback. I was pushed several times. Even older women were beaten.
6. Essam Mohamed, student, faculty of law, Ain Shams University
It was 12.15. We were close to the Shura council. The police cordoned us. We stood holding each other's hands to prevent them from dispersing us. Still some security men in plain clothes managed to enter in our midst. They would push individual demonstrators outside our circle and beat them up and then take them to the police trucks. There were five or six rows of central security surrounding us. They tried to pull me outside the circle but my friends held me back. I saw people being beaten and arrested: Ahmed Samir, student, faculty of art, Ain Shams university - Mahmoud Sami, faculty of commerce - Mohamed Ahmed Sarhan, faculty of engineering, Ain Shams - Mostafa Fouad, faculty of law, Ain Shams - Mohamed Fouad, faculty of law, Ain Shams
7. Selwan Mohamed El Said
We began at the Sura council. Then we tried to escape from the police. We went to the agricultural credit bank and at the end we went to that park opposite El Tahrir building. All the time the police would pick one after the other and arrest them. The officers would push the central security forces towards us. They first beat us with batons on our legs and then they began beating on the head. I was beaten by a club on my arm and back (swollen left wrist)
8. Basma Fouad, Student
On our way out of the metro towards Hardee's one of us was arrested. His name was Mostafa Fouad. His brother was also arrested, Mahmoud Fouad. They threatened me that if I do not go away I shall be arrested. I went away and when I tried to return again they shouted that I should leave and that there is no demonstration. I ran and went to the Shura council. About 15 people were arrested from there. One fo them had his clothes completely torn. They cordoned us and said whoever will not leave will be arrested. They then opened a small gap in the cordon and ordered us to leave. Anybody who walked through was beaten. They first let the women through. I was beaten with a club on my arm and back. The same thing happened with Aya Gamal. I saw her because were were standing close to each other. My back and arm hurt terribly.
9. Inas Abdel Karim, engineer, member of El Gabha Party
We began at the Shura council. We were about 20 people. We were surrounded by police. They took two of us to a side street and started beating them. There were many screams. One of them had his clothes torn completely. There was a journalist standing there. The police pushed her and she fell. We remained surrounded by the police. They took a few to another side street and beat them with batons, those black batons. Then people went to the Tahrir square. Several were arrested. I saw two or three being arrested. There were microbuses with no number plates and dark glass. One of the arrested was taken in a private car and the rest were taken in the transfer trucks of the police.
10. Demonstrator, 24 years
They arrested two of us and I saw them beat them and tear their clothes. I didn't see them after that. We returned to the Tahrir building. They surrounded us, central security and state security. We gathered in Talaat Hard square. They followed us to the square.
11. Mahmoud Fawzi
I was in the first row in front of the Shura council. I was beaten there. The security people were getting more and more and the informers were surrounding us from all sides. They would come in our midst and would pick up somebody, take him outside the circle and beat him up. They took five or six this way. We dispersed and walked in small groups until the bank opposite the council. We heard women screaming. They then took the men in the garage opposite the council and beat them. They cordoned the garage so that they can have good control over them. Until then I was not beaten yet. Only abuses and obscenities. Then I tried to defend somebody who was surrounded by five informers. They took the young man and threw him down the street. They then surrounded me and kicked me with their boots. People helped and pulled me away. We walked until the AUC and found them behind us. They kept arresting people from the street.
12. Aya Gamal El Din Haroun
There were so many officers. They arrested Mostafa Fouad. There was somebody in plainclothes following us. We said that the demo is over. Iman Hussein saw me while I was being beaten. There was somebody beating me on my back. I would have fallen if Iman had not supported me.
13. Marwa Ali Bayoumi Ali El Komy
Mahmoud Yasin and Mohamed Awad were beaten and their clothes torn. I saw them. This happened in front of the Shura council. There was a woman in uniform, a policewoman, who ran after us at Hardee's. There was a woman called Asmaa Mahfouz. They caught her for a while and I heard her tell them how can you beat a woman. After a while they left her and I was standing with Doaa and heard an officer whisper to a sergeant after which he came after us and pushed us, refusing that we walk together.
14. Ahmed Saad, Student
I went to Tahrir square by bus. There were many, both in uniform and plain clothes. They searched passersby whether or not they had anything to do with the demonstration. Nobody could pass by without being searched and asked for their ID. The street to the parliament was totally closed. Nobody was allowed in whether pedestrians or cars. People gathered in front of the Shura council. When we began to chant they surrounded us, and began to beat us and abuse us. I saw them grab one after the other and hit them. They also beat women. The police has also brought people in plainclothes who beat the demonstrators. They also beat women and pulled them by their hair. They followed us wherever we went.
15. MohamedMahmoud el Sayed Ibrahim (Journalist)
El Tahrir square and all the ways leading to it were stuffed with security. As soon as we arrived to the pavement in front of the shura council we were surrounded by central security forces,. They had black batons in their hands and pulled one after the other of the demonstrators and beat them. The officers would enter into our circle and arrest demonstrators, one by one. They would push them to the ground and beat them and kick them. This is what I happened with Selwani and Mahmoud Yasin. They kicked them in the face and dragged them along the street and were verbally obscene. It did not make a difference whether their victims were men or women. They intentionally attacked women. They opened a gap in the security cordon, like a gate and told us we could exit if we wanted. Everybody who walked through was beaten. After we left they ran after us in the streets and pushed some so hard they fell on the ground. I don't know why they did this. We had said that it is a peaceful demo and we informed the concerned authorities to protect us, not to beat us and humiliate us.
