Agents of Repression

The police, the once omnipotent wing of president Mubarak's repressive state machine, are widely seen as a nasty remnant of the regime against which Egyptians rose up to demand social justice and dignity. The police enjoy wide powers under Egyptian law and have for decades abused them. They have acted unlawfully and disregarded human rights, whether when dispersing protesters or detaining suspects, and have usually enjoyed impunity for their criminal actions. This report details human rights abuses committed by the police, ranging from unlawful killings of protesters to torture of prisoners. It calls on the authorities to take significant steps to reform the police, starting with addressing the legacy of past police abuses, aligning Egyptian legislation with international standards, recruiting and training their forces to conduct human rights-oriented policing, and setting up effective and transparent accountability mechanisms. Without such reforms, the police will continue to be seen as agents of repression rather than guarantor of public order and protector of fundamental rights.