MENA House: Egypt as "A Nation Without Trust"?

In a heated discussion, television commentators Amr Adeeb and Amal Othman raised the subject  "A Nation Without Trust" (Watan bila thika).

The reason for this debate? In recent weeks, headlines have featured events bringing into question the integrity of the judiciary, medical examiners, and police forces.  In the words of  Adeeb, this is a "catastrophe".

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Case 1: The Beating of Khalid Saeed

On 6 June, Khalid Saeed was assaulted and murdered by, according to eyewitnesses, two policemen.  Al Masry Al Youm obtained exclusive material, including more eyewtiness accounts and testimonies revealing the attack caused severe bruising and bleeding.  Pictures of the victim were then released matching  the description.

The events that followed that raised even more eyebrows throughout the nation.  Saeed's brother Ahmed claims that, informed of his brother's death, he went to the morgue.  Officers refused to let him enter and took him to the police station, where he was given a story completely different that of all the eyewitnesses.

The prosecutor interrogated the medical examiner at the morgue, "Afify Abdel Al Afify", who claimed that there was  a "bruise under Saeed’s left eye and scratches on his lips, but no other injuries".  The examiner added that the victim's mother and brother did in fact visit the morgue, however, he "forgot" to add this to the visitors' logbook.

A new medical report is being written to confirm/revoke the previous account.

Case 2: Lawyers vs. Judges

Two lawyers were convicted and sentenced to five-year prison terms for assaulting the district attorney in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, northwest of Cairo.  It is alleged that the lawyers slapped the prosecutor.  However, accounts of the event differ over who initiated the scuffle.

At the hearing, a judge ruled in favour of the prosecutor, a decision which defense lawyers claim was biased.  This led to numerous protests against prosecutors, with lawyers handing out leaflets condemning judges of not being objective and failing to do their job properly.

While the judges, defence lawyers and prosecutors argue amongst themselves, it is the Egyptian citizen who is affected. Videos show empty courtrooms, in contrast to the normal rush of judicial business.

In the words of Adeeb, the Egyptian citizen is being abused twice over.  First, their legal dealings are stalled because of the dispute within the judiciary.  Secondly, their trust is being killed.

Returning to the Khalid Saeed case, what happens if the final report is published and it states that he was in fact murdered by policemen? This means that police officers and the forensice medical examiner can change their reports from one extreme to another.  Whom does an Egyptian citizen trust?

What on the other hand happens if the report concludes that Saeed was not killed, contrary to all eyewitness accounts and photographic evidence of the assault? Again, whom should an Egyptian citizen trust?