The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

Updates from Tora...

Gamal 3abdel 3aziz 3eid, Mohamed el-Sharqawi’s lawyer, said his client resisted an attempt, Thursday 9am, by the prison authorities to transfer him to the forensic medical department, for a second visit. Sharqawi, according to 3eid, told the security officials he was already referred to the forensic medical authorities once, last Sunday, and did not comprehend why he would be referred again.

3eid said his client, whose body is healing from the torture marks, suspected the security wanted to destroy the original report made on Sunday by the forensics, (the report hasn’t been disclosed yet to 3eid) and replace it with a new one that does not bear witness to his clients’ treatment in police custody.

In another development, the US ambassador in Cairo asked the Egyptian government to “explain its side of the story,� in remarks made at an American Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday. The government explained "its side of the story," in an interior ministry statement on Thursday, saying no torture happened, and that Sharqawi and Karim el-Sha3er were arrested for blocking the traffic. The ambassador has yet to say which "side of the story" he buys...