Welcome parade (torture)

The welcome parade is a form of running the gauntlet used against new prisoners in some countries, including Egypt.[1][2]

Context
Main article: Human rights in Egypt ยง Conditions for detainees and torture

During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, torture was common in Egyptian police stations, with 701 incidents of torture recorded by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights between 1985 and 2011, among which 204 prisoners died from torture and mistreatment.[3]

Method

Policemen form two rows. The new prisoner crawls on the ground[1] or is made to walk bent over[2] between the two rows of policemen. The policemen then kick, hit and insult the new prisoner walking between the two rows.[1]

After Egyptian blogger, software developer and political activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was arrested on 29 September 2019 during the 2019 Egyptian protests, he was blindfolded and had to undress down to his underwear for his welcome parade. He was beaten on his back and his neck, repeatedly kicked, threatened and verbally abused during the parade, which lasted 15 minutes. El-Fattah's welcome parade took place in Tora Prison.[2][4]

Mohamed el-Baqer, el-Fattah's lawyer and head of the Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms, himself also arrested on 29 September 2019, was blindfolded for his welcome parade in Tora Prison, during which he was insulted by policemen.[2]

Role in Egyptian prisons

According to el-Fattah, the welcome parade is used against prisoners classified with a low status, "without protection".[1] El-Fattah reported an incident in which a prisoner of high social status was accidentally subjected to a welcome parade. The incident was followed by "frantic action" by senior officials, who apologised to the prisoner.[1]

Deaths

El-Fattah reported a welcome parade used against an elderly man who died during the parade. There was no change in prison procedures following the death, according to el-Fattah.[1]

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References
  1. El-Fattah, Alaa Abd (23 September 2019). "A personal introduction to viciousness in enmity". Mada Masr. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. "Alaa Abd El Fattah and his lawyer recount humiliation and beatings in maximum-security prison". Mada Masr. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. Marwa Al-A'sar/Daily News Egypt (22 June 2011). "EOHR calls for investigating 900 torture cases". Archived from the original on 27 June 2011.
  4. "Egypt: Torture of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah illustrates use of extreme brutality to crush dissent". Amnesty International. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
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