Then, in a shocking twist, the "victim" claimed that he was actually being rescued by the security forces, not assaulted by them, despite the conclusive video evidence. From his hospital room, Saber went on to make media appearances with Interior Ministry officials who were thankful for him admitting this publicly and were promising to help with his health care and to even find him a job upon recovery from his injuries.
Few believed this statement. Not even Saber's daughter; Twitter links started linking followers to news interviews with Saber's daughter who said that her father was fearful and coerced into making those statements. There was even a link to one youtube video that said she was tearfully confronting him in the hospital, pleading with him to tell "the truth"--when he wouldn't and insulted her on the video, she called him a coward.
Last night, Saber has officially changed his story. The linked article reports that Saber's son was called by him to tell him of his fear and the pressure he was getting from the police; Saber begged his son to get him out of the police hospital and either home or to another hospital. Saber's son further said that his father did not know the incident had been filmed and that was the resulting reason for the attention and pressure.
To add further stains to the story and the integrity of the government offices and security officials involved, Sura Council (upper house of legislature) MP Maged Aqad tendered his resignation from what he called disgrace for working "under a regime that violates the rights of its citizens".
Meanwhile, the Morsi administration made their own defensive statements to indicate that President Morsi declined the request of police to use greater force during the demonstrations -- though this is intended to make him sound merciful, it may also further throw a police force further under the proverbial bus as it attempts to deal with larger numbers of demonstrators and their growing anger.
Injuries, Deaths, and Torture?
Last week's violence included one immediate death by gun shot; the victim was Mohamed Hussein Qorany (aka, Christie), who was a student and active Egyptian blogger. Questions surround his death, which only fuels rumors.
Today, another victim from the clashes has died due to a gunshot wound to the head, received during the clashes last Friday--Amr Saad Abdul Rahim arrived at the hospital in a coma but was unable to recover. This news report also indicates that the number injured through the weekend has climbed to 113.
This morning, the papers reported the death of Mohamed el-Gendy who was a member of the Popular Current, one of the leading groups of the opposition that have united under the National Salvation Front. There are several death by injuries, but the nature of el-Gendy's death points to brutality and even torture. El-Gendy went missing from Tahrir Square on January 28, and then was found in a hospital from reportedly an auto accident; however, the news article reports that there were signs of torture on his body and that the opposition group is accusing the hospital of changing the date to coverup his alleged kidnapping.
The general population continues either in an uproar, now further fueled with opposition forces refusing to dialogue with the Morsi administration; or in anxious expectation of more dreadful riots to come as the economy continues to tumble, tourism spirals to nonexistence, and the only thing increasing is the desperation of the average citizens. It is anticipated that the weekend will only bring more protests. Grafiti seems to be spreading across the city, while barricades and walls are built to hopefully increase the difficulty of demonstrators marches.
Thank you for your continued interest and prayers...
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