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Frightening Passengers at the Cairo International Airport
Forced Detention at the Airport
By: Salah Abdel Aziz
"In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."
"Enter ye Egypt (all) in safety if it please Allah."
With such holy words, all passengers from all over the world are welcomed in the international Cairo Airport. as they enter the big reception hall, decorated all with white marble, to grant a warm feeling of peace and security to all those thinking of visiting such a great country.
According to the Geneva Convention for the year 1951, all refugees must travel with International Travel Documents.
And being a political refugee in Switzerland since the year 1997, I went to the consulate general in Geneva, seeking a visa, for my family and I to spend the summer vacation in the Arab Republic of Egypt. And in three months time, we were honored to obtain the required visa.
On Sunday the 11th of July, 2004 my family(my wife, myself and five children) arrived to the Cairo International Airport, we went through all procedures, my wife and my children were allowed to pass, and I was asked to step aside for a moment, as the computer just indicated that my name is on the "Wanted List"?!!
In an extremely polite manner, the concerned officer asked me to join him to a side aisle that led to another room TOTALLY isolated from our real world.
In a glance, everything changed; warm smiles turned into suspicions, and I, an innocent passenger, just turned into a convicted criminal!?
I kept asking myself;" what has happened? What have I done?? Am I lost?!!
Oh No, I am still in the Cairo International Airport, but not the same one I used to see long time ago when I used to work as a pilot on the Libyan Airlines.
What has happened?!!
I waited for about an hour, not knowing or imagining what would happen to me or to my family. A Sudanese passenger told me that he has been waiting for more than four hours and not handed his passport yet.
Poor Arabs, we are always convicted until proven otherwise.
I was led into a small room, to be interrogated by two officers, one to ask questions and the other trying to read whatever thought that would cross my mind and even counting my breaths. They were trying to frame me with all possible means, another sacrificial victim to be presented to their big Pacha.
All their questions were about me being on "the Libyan Wanted List". And what made the situation even worse was the presence of President Kazafi(enemy of yesterday, friend of today) at the Cairo International Airport on a short visit to celebrate the feast with president Mubarak.
Humoring, the interrogating officer actually asked me whether I would like to go with Mr. Kazafy back to Libya? Just to tell me in an indirect way that they can give me up to the Libyan Authorities.
Although they knew that I was a political refugee and I have all my LEGAL international travel documents, the Egyptian intelligence bureau wanted to re-open my case file; the file that I consider a personal matter and the Host government has no right to embarrass me in such an inhuman manner, not to mention that my case has nothing to do with the Egyptian National Security.
More and more questions and the concerned officers realized that I would never talk about my Libyan Political case, and so a resolution was issued, to arrest me and preventing me from entering Egypt.!!
Totally taken by such inconceivable behavior, my family started asking questions, seeking answers and explanations, but who would answer?!
They have lived all their lives in Switzerland, where there are proper explanation for everything. Even seats, they couldn't find any!
What a vacation!
I had to bribe one of the guards to let me talk with my wife, convinced her to take the children and go to Alexandria where my brother and uncle would be waiting for them.
I went back to the detention room with over forty other prisoners from all over the world, waiting like slaves for the Modern Pharaons that so called Pacha!!
While waiting for the unknown, I made some phone calls to some of Liberals back in Switzerland, and even called some of the international Organizations that would interfere to help me and my family.
But, seems that the international interference only provoked the Pacha Abed, as they call him, and I was herd to his room on the second night,blind folded!!
Believe it or not, I was insulted in the most inhuman humiliating manner, He called me extremely bad names, I never thought that they even exist.
He went on insulting me, threatening me, telling me that I m in front of the most powerful intelligence bureau in the whole area.
But what was really humiliating is that I found out , when he told me, that I m a member of a secret Libyan Organization that came to Egypt to conduct several acts of sabotage!!!!!!!!!
Is this possible?? Does that make any sense?!!
I even asked him, is it possible to bring my family in the middle of July with Legal Travel documents to conduct terroristic actions in here???
Sensing the logic in my speech, another officer started convincing me, politely, that the Pacha is here just to help, And that the Pacha will not give me up to the Libyan Authorities, and that they JUST need to know my opinions about Al-Jihad, Arabic Legal systems, and whether I would send my own son to fight in Iraq!!!!?
I had only one answer, Go to Al Azhar El Sharif and ask such questions there, not to a detained tired man who cannot even see in front of him.
Two hours of intensive interrogations and I was led back to the detention room, given a glass of water to take some pain-killer pills.
Only then I raised my hands and prayed to the merciful Lord to rescue all the Arab Nation from such Injustice.
The condition of the detention room at the Cairo International Airport:
I would never be exaggerating if I say that this room is the filthiest, dirtiest place on earth, cockroaches everywhere, and you can imagine the rest..!!
It consists of two rooms, one for the ladies that contained about eight beds, and one for the men that contained about 16 beds. But how would this small number of beds help all those PRISONERS??
Everything that would indicate cleanness or order was far away from being in such a place.
I had a chance to converse with other companion-prisoners and believe me they were not in a better condition..
One was starving, as they didn't grant him enough food, another cannot sleep as he is extremely frightened of what might happen. Everyone is thinking about their worst nightmare; Al-abbaseya Prison!!
Everyone is so frightened that it would be his turn to be herd to such prison.
One of the prisoners asked me for my cellular to call his family in Cairo to get him a lawyer or to talk with people in high position to get him out of this prison.
Dear Lord, What has happened to the world?
I looked around and started conversing with some of them..
Another doctor detained. why? Falsification of Saudi Arabia Visa.
Some Turkish students studying jurisprudence sciences in Al Azhar Al Sharif detained. why? because they did not have their passports along while waiting for their friend at the airport. And when their friend brought their passports from home, they were forced and herd with others to prison!!
Another one coming from Austria detained. Why? Traveling with a substitute passport. he was asked about the principal one. God Knows!!!!
A Yemeni passenger was traveling on a domestic flight from Sana'a to Hodayda found himself in the Cairo International Airport.. !!!!and instead of just sending him home on the first flight, he was to be kept detained!!
Now, I would like to make a small comparison of what I had seen in the Geneva airport seven years ago, when I had to give myself up to the Swiss authorities seeking for Political refuge, at a time all Arabic countries refused to lend a helping hand to those of opposition political parties.
In Geneva Airport, Interrogations were polite, Officers treated me in a respectable manner as a human, not as a criminal accused of Fraud and falsification.
Food was available all the time, smiley and friendly faces to serve you.
At the Cairo Int'l airport I didn't have anything to eat from the moment I was detained until next day at the afternoon. Actually, guards brought some bread and cheese but refused to give any to us, the PRISONERS…
There was this starving African girl that was begging the guards for some food!
How humiliating!!
I can never believe that this is Egypt, the country of all civilizations.!
I can never believe that this is the Egypt of Yusuf Al Seddik who one helped the whole world from Hunger.
This is not the Egypt I have heard about!!!
End of Tragedy..
Tuesday 13th July, Noon
They led me to another room away from the detention one, and again everything changed. Smiles are back, friendly faces were re-born. Seems that all the international organizations, and the liberals interfered actually helped to stress on the Egyptian government, and talked it NOT TO give me up to the Libyan authorities .
I was asked;" Mr. Salah, we are here to help, would you like to go back to Geneva today or tomorrow?!!, as Mr. Ahmed Mohsen The UNHCR representative would like to meet you"
He tried to be as friendly as possible and re-assured me that I will not be handed to the Libyan authorities and that I will be on the first flight back to Geneva.
Then, just then I remembered an old Egyptian proverb; to be respected you have to be protected
At last, I would like to thank all those who helped me to get out of this crisis..
Salah Abdel Aziz
Geneva-Switzerland
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