Translation of a video testimony of a protester shot by the police on the 28th of January in Cairo

in «Politics & Human Rights» by moftasa
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Warning! This post is very old and may contain information or opinions that are no longer valid or embarrassing.

This a very quick translation of this video testimony that was sent to me. I think it is very important and moving.

The video is slightly graphic near the end.

My name is Mohammed el-Faramawy

I joined the marches on the Friday of Anger on the 28th of January. I had a first aid bag on my back, I took it with me to Tahrir square to treat the injured, at around 1 the army entered.

We were near the Shoura council and the army asked us to let a group of anti-riot policemen, they told us the policemen were afraid and we should let them pass so they can join other policemen near the ministry of interior so they can retreat and go back home as a group.

We made a cordon, so they can pass safely. They passed while we greeted them. As soon as they reached the other end, their police officer gave them ammunition and order them to shoot us in the back. They started shooting at everyone.

I ran, I ran with a colleagues and hid in Shoura council. We entered and security told us to hide in there and not to be afraid but from across the other end of the council someone related to the ministry of interior pointed his gun and told us to run away right now and leave or he will start shooting. We told him that they are shooting live ammunition and if we go back we will be shot.

He said I'll kill you and started shooting. We all ran away.
While running a police officer stopped us and told us to raise our arms and give him our backs. He had a shot gun. Suddenly, while giving him our backs I saw the man in front of me with a hole in his back and he dropped down dead in front of. He was martyred.

Afterwards, I tried to run away. A bullet entered my left hip. I fell to the ground and all my fellow protesters fell on top of me, exactly like dominoes or chickens falling on top of each others.

When we fell the officers and policemen starting hitting us, everyone of us and they take them away. When he came to me and I saw them hitting I covered the back of my neck and they kept on hitting me with the back of a rifle on my head. He used very obscene insults.

I had 4 wounds in my head from the beating with the back of the rifle. I was also bleeding profusely from my hip, the blood filled the ground. The policemen told the officer "he's bleeding boss" he replied "from where? the son of.." he pointed to my leg. The officer kicked me in the place the bullet entered, he kept on kicking a lot till the policemen told him "he is finished boss" the officer left me and another policemen came and I told him I was bleeding. He told me he'll bring me an ambulance. He lifted me from the top of my trousers and stole everything in my pocket and left. I didn't know what happened next except that I found more protesters came and attacked the ministry of interior with stones.

People came and carried me. One, thankfully, lifted me on his back and ran. They meanwhile shot us with a type of ammunition that throws lead pellets. Not only I was shot, to the extent that the guy asked me do they want to kill you or what? The filled my back with lead pellets. From my back to my knees all filled with lead pellets. When I was in hospital I was very tired, I couldn't sleep or rest from the pain.

The youth carried me and ran the entire street. These are the men of Egypt. Cars in the street stopped to anyone injured to transport them to hospital. I was transported in a coupe, we were three in the boot. I later found out that I was take to the Kasr el-Ainy hospital.

There were no beds for me from the number of people injured, I was treated on the floor, they cut the trousers on the floor and examined me on the floor. As soon as the doctor saw my wound he said that I should be operated up on immediately because the bullet I was shot with is internationally banned. He said that after entry in the body part of it explodes, cutting all the arteries and veins in my left hip. I had to be operated on. I stayed in the operating room 8 hours.

My first haemoglobin reading was 6 and it means I lost half my blood. In the normal man it should be minimum 13. This is the exit wound, these are the location of lacerated arteries. That's the location of pellets. And this is the part from the right hip that viable veins and arteries were used to be grafted to the other side. At the calf, the doctors opened a part to decrease the pressure on the arteries and veins recently grafted.

I'd like to send a message, I don't want to try the police officer or the minister of interior. I want to prosecute the president, I want redress. I want redress for my mother who I say crying tears and pain. I didn't cry as much as my mother did.

I want to comfort every father and mother, who lost anyone that their sons are in heaven. We saw them and we smelt the smell of their blood when we were there. All of them will go to heaven, God willing.

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