Richard Neville, May 6th 2009:- In Egypt, where torture seems to be a Government sport, Habib was interrogated by the country’s Intelligence Director, General Omar Suleiman, who is is ranked second in power to President Hosni Mubarak. Back in 2001, Suleiman took a personal interest in anyone suspected of links with Al Qaeda. As Habib had visited Afghanistan shortly before 9/11, he was under suspicion. Suleiman slapped Habib’s face so hard, the blindfold was dislodged, revealing the torturer’s identity. According to his memoir, Habib was repeatedly zapped with high-voltage electricity, immersed in water up to his nostrils, beaten, his fingers were broken and he was hung from metal hooks.
He was again interrogated by Omar Suleiman. To loosen Habib’s tongue, Suleiman ordered a guard to murder a gruesomely shackled Turkistan prisoner in front of Habib – and he did, with a vicious karate kick. Suleiman is expected to be the next President of Egypt.
It seems brave Egyptians have other ideas, so how did Her Majesty’s Government aid Egyptians against the despotic dictator Mubarak and his torture regime? Because we’re like the good guys right? Y’know patriotism, Great Britain, Yay us, The Royal Wedding, The King’s Speech etc. Hmm, well we sold the regime a lot of arms-
And um, we sold Israel lots who then resold to Mubarak
latest government figures for July-September 2010 show arms sales to the apartheid state, of over £800,000 of direct arms sales with £450,000 of further sales which Israel re-exported to Egypt, South Korea, Pakistan, Turkey, United States and other countries. (ht2 Earwicga)
I suspect no one reading this is finding this to be new information.
former CIA agent Robert Baer: “If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear — never to see them again — you send them to Egypt.” (ht2 Chicken Yoghurt)
There can be no doubt that Egyptians struggle while more extreme is also our struggle, to bring our ruling elites under democratic control, to end their sociopathic exercise of power and to reclaim the wealth stolen by these armed and dangerous criminals. As such solidarity works on two fronts, direct support to Egyptians and greater effort applied to reclaim our dormant democracy. If an individual acted as our nation does they would be the most notorious serial killer in our history, they would have endless crappy books, plays, films made about them. They would be infamous, legendary and incarcerated until death in any working criminal justice system.
Now maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but this is how you get away with it:-
- You are in power, either elected, civil service, intel/military, corporate or appointed by patronage.
- Your crimes advance the interests of the ruling class.
- All rapes, killings, tortures are committed through a chain of authority with no one decision maker directly performing the atrocities.
Also handy is on the rare occasion you have to explain yourself you say things like ‘realist’ ‘pragmatic’ ‘security’ terrorism’ ‘allies’. These are magic talismans that neuter all the powers of your access craving journalist inquisitor, also suits, always suits, women must be smart corporate, men always conservative, open neck is still a bit too daring for steely authority mode (reserve it for appearing friendly to the slow of thinking). Do not at any price attend media engagements soaked in blood and then recount particularly enjoyable and profitable rape and murder sessions on air. This is usually avoided by the third clause, chain of authority, no direct performance, however as Suleiman shows sometimes the temptation is too high and you may inadvertently find yourself chatting to Andrew Neil with some speck of shredded genitalia on your collar. This also breaks the golden rule of realism, pragmatist etc talismans, the illusion is based upon nice speaking people, in expensive clothes, lying a lot. If for a moment the reality that privilege and power rest upon rape, murder and torture the game is blown and ‘moral’ authority is lost, then all you have is a well armed security force to keep you in place. And as we are seeing, this is not always enough to keep things ticking along nicely for your organised crime gang. Now off you pop, talk up that Royal Wedding, that splendid KIng’s Speech film and Cut Cut Cut, we are still at the stage of a well armed security force being able to keep you in business.
