NEW NGO FORMED TO ADDRESS POLICE BRUTALITY AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002260 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ELA, DRL/NESCA, INL AND INR/B E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2028 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR KDEM EG SUBJECT: NEW NGO FORMED TO ADDRESS POLICE BRUTALITY AND TORTURE REF: A. 07 CAIRO 3449 ¶B. 07 CAIRO 3214 Classified By: ECPO Mincouns William R. Stewart for reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) Summary and comment: Dr. Ihab Youssef, Secretary-General of the new NGO "Police and People for Egypt," told us October 16 that he recently founded the NGO to improve relations between the police and the public following recurring incidents of police brutality and torture. The NGO, established by Youssef (a former senior Interior Ministry official) and other prominent Egyptians including former Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, is currently gathering information to plan its initial activities. The NGO is interviewing police officers and soliciting project proposals this autumn before presenting its findings to the Interior Minister for his feedback. Youssef plans to pursue a mentoring program for junior police officers, a training session for officers though the UK-based ARC Academy, and improved human rights law instruction at the Egyptian national police academy. He is pursuing funding for the NGO from Egyptian businesses, European governments and the U.S. Although the NGO's current action plan is somewhat unformed, the commitment of former regime insiders to change police culture through working with the MOI gives the NGO the potential to make some positive changes. However, with the current prevalence of high-profile police brutality and torture cases, the NGO faces challenging obstacles to its goals. End summary and comment. ¶2. (C) Dr. Ihab Youssef, Secretary-General of the new NGO "Police and People for Egypt" told us that he decided to launch the organization out of his sense that the public's trust in the police had deteriorated to an all-time low. As a Ministry of Interior police officer for 20 years, with 10 years experience as a senior advisor to the minister, Youssef expressed his personal distress that the public currently views the police as an institution that protects the government, but not the population. He stressed that torture by police officers has besmirched the police's public image, and emphasized his personal view that "there is no need for torture." Youssef noted that the early October police killing of a 32-year old pregnant woman in Samalout (120 miles south of Cairo),who tried to prevent officers from entering her home to arrest her brother, had resulted in a crisis in relations between the police and the public. (Note: Samalout villagers assaulted police officers and burned a police truck on October 9 in response to the killing. End note.) ¶3. (C) Youssef stated that his new NGO aims to rebuild trust between the public and the police, so that "the man on the street" views the police as an institution concerned with public safety and security. He told us he was able to parlay his Interior Ministry (MOI) contacts with prominent Egyptian political and business figures into assembling a founding board of directors for the NGO comprised of former Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, former Environment Minister Nadia Ebeid, former ambassadors and elite businesspeople. Youssef plans for his NGO to organize workshops and improve training for the police with the goal of minimizing brutality. He also is interested in reaching out to the public through advertisements and public relations events to improve its perception of the police. ¶4. (C) Youssef conceded that although the Ministry of Social Solidarity registered his NGO in September 2007, the NGO is only beginning its activities this autumn and is currently focusing on gathering information and soliciting project proposals. The NGO met with journalists in September 2008 to announce its mission, and plans to interview senior police officers to glean their suggestions for the NGO's work. On October 31, the NGO plans to publish advertisements soliciting program proposals. Youssef said he will then present the NGO's findings and project proposals to the Minister of Interior for his feedback. ¶5. (C) Youssef described two projects his NGO is currently considering. The first is a police mentoring program where retired senior officers would work with current junior officers to instill an improved work ethos and an increased sensitivity to the public's needs. The second idea is for specialized training for police officers through the UK-based ARC International Academy for Security Management. He inquired into U.S. funding for this training. Youssef told us he is also pursuing overall funding for the NGO from Egyptian businesses and European governments; he said he now has 100,000 Egyptian pounds (about 17,800 USD),mostly from Egyptian business donations. Youssef noted that his NGO plans to introduce an educational component on international human rights law from a "psychological perspective" into police academy training. He also expressed interest in receiving information from the USG on effective methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of police stations in order to assess Egyptian stations and award prizes. ¶6. (C) Bio note: Youssef currently works as Regional Security Director for British-American Tobacco. He retired from the Ministry of Interior in 2006. His father is also a retired police officer and served as the Governor of Luxor in the mid-1990's, including during the infamous 1997 terrorist attack there. ¶7. (C) Comment: The establishment of "People and Police for Egypt" by a former senior MOI official and prominent former ministers reflects a growing concern among the Egyptian establishment over the problem of police brutality and torture. The NGO's plans currently focus more on improving police training than on reaching out to the public, and its current action plan is still largely unformed and theoretical. However, the desire of regime insiders such as Youssef and several former ministers to change police culture from the inside by working with the MOI provides the NGO with the potential to affect positive changes in the long-term. However, with the current prevalence of high-profile brutality and torture cases, the NGO faces challenging obstacles to its goals. Additionally, the NGO does not appear to be coordinating with its natural quasi-governmental partners. Some of the NGO's goals for police training overlap with current programming run by the UNDP Human Rights Capacity Building Project (sponsored in part by the MFA) and the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR). UNDP and NCHR officials have told us that "Police and People for Egypt" has not reached out to them to hold discussions. SCOBEY