Police 'Threw Me To The Ground, Stomped On My Back, Dislocated My Shoulder' While Other US Officials Stood Down

Remaining delegates waiting to go to Gaza, trapped in Cairo airport.

Correction: According to a telephone call today with U.S. veterans, Medea’s arms is “fractured.”

US Embassy behind police brutalizing America’s Key Human Rights worker?

After a cry for help from a woman on Tuesday on Twitter, she has explained police brutality she experienced for trying to help some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Leading American human rights worker Medea Benjamin explains further in a written statement on Thursday about being brutally assaulted by police.

The police brutality was so severe, she’d thought her arm was broken when they dislocated her shoulder.[See: CODEPINK Medea Benjamin Update: ‘Help! They Broke My Arm!’ Detained, Tortured. US Embassy Forsaken]

“Just the other day I hopped on a plane to Egypt, eager to join the international delegation of 100 women headed to Gaza for International Women’s Day,” says Benjamin on Thursday, “Little did I know I would be stopped at the Cairo airport, detained, held overnight in a cell, then in the morning brutally assaulted by Egyptian authorities.

“They threw me to the ground, stomped on my back, handcuffed me so tightly they dislocated my shoulder, and then deported me to Turkey.

Egyptian authorities are now blocking most of the remaining delegates from entering Egypt and traveling to Gaza.

“It has been frustrating and disappointing for us, but we cannot forget that almost two million Palestinians remained trapped in Gaza while the Egyptian Rafah border remains closed or tightly controlled,” Benjamin said in a written statement.

Benjamin says what happened to her was traumatizing, but minor compared to what Egyptian human rights defenders are experiencing, including women.

“Thousands of peaceful Egyptian demonstrators have been killed or jailed by the Military Junta since the July 2013 military coup,” Benjamin said. 

In an email from United States veterans, members of Veterans For Peace condemn the brutality and lasck of embassy supprt.  Interim VFP spokesperson Michael McPhearson says:

Veterans For Peace are appalled that Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, a U.S. citizen, and member of Veterans For Peace has been brutally attacked and injured by Egyptian police as she entered Egypt to join an international women’s peace delegation to Gaza. Medea’s arm was fractured by five Egyptian police officers and her shoulder dislocated as they threw her to the ground and handcuffed her after being detained for 7 hours along with four others with no reason given – ever.

Calling from Istanbul, Benjamin gave the following statement: “I was brutally assaulted by Egyptian police, who never said what I was being accused of. When the authorities came into the cell to deport me, two men threw me to the ground, stomped on my back, pulled my shoulder out of its socket and handcuffed me so that my injured arm was twisted around. I was then forced to sit between the two men who attacked me on the plane ride from Cairo to Istanbul, and I was (and still am) in terrible pain the whole time.”

Equally deplorable, is the failure of the U.S. Embassy to provide any assistance whatsoever even after being called repeatedly to at least help get Medea medical care. They told U.S. citizens, the women from the delegation, “You are on your own.”

We condemn this action by the Egyptian government through their police and equally condemns the U.S. State Department for their complicity through inaction. We urge everyone to call and/or email the Egyptian Embassy at 202 895-5400 and [email protected] to voice your outrage and demand that those accountable be held responsible. Ask for justice for Medea, that they release the delegation from the airport and let them go to Gaza, and stop cracking down on journalists and Egyptian activists.

Benjamin is calling on citizens take the following action: 

• Call the Egyptian Embassy now (202-895-5400), demand an apology, ask them to allow the remaining delegates to go to Gaza, open of the Rafah border, and end the brutal crackdown on journalists and Egyptian activists. 

• Send this letter to the Egyptian government with our demands.

“Despite frantic calls to the US Embassy during my 17-hour ordeal, they NEVER even got in touch with me,” Benjamin said. “It is appalling that not only did the US government fail to intervene when an American citizen was being beaten, but that our government continues to send billions of US taxpayer dollars in military aid to the illegitimate and abusive Egyptian government.”

Sign this petition to Egypt Desk at the State Department, then call them (202-647-4680). Demand to know why they did not assist a peaceful US citizen who was being abused by the Egyptian authorities, and let them know you want an immediate end to US military aid to Egypt.