FROM OUR SENT
MANSURA (Egypt) – Ifthe crosses, two bleeding Christs, an icon that tears, a Saint George skewering the Dragon, a stained-glass window Nazarene, the tapestry of an absorbed Virgin, seven candles, two suffering Marys. We are Christians. What can we do? Let’s pray. The other ordeal of Patrick Zaki, on the fifth day of passion in the dungeons of the Mansura police, crucified like a thief of freedom, the real torture is the thought that goes from his cell to this green-no-hope breakfast nook in Omar Ibn el Khattab Street, twenty minutes from lungodelta, full of heavenly images and earthly nightmares.
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Fear
TOOn the first floor on the left, the albums of the old photos are squared as if you are mourning, remember the beautiful years together in Cairo, Zaki’s useless degree in pharmacy at the German university and then curiosity for the human sciences that brought him to Bologna, the dream one day of teaching in university. You try to bear the pain: More than for me, my son worried about us – says engineer George Michel, 55, sales manager of a machinery factory -. He’s afraid of what we’re going through. How much is his mother suffering … In his hand a roll of toilet paper to tear off his handkerchiefs, curled on a chair and in a silence where words become sobs, Hala Sobhy Abdelmalek, 52, tells his Kuki – we call it this – and he remembers the life of before: Each its instant a sign for me. From Italy, we also felt three times a day. He to tell me everything, I to listen to him. I’ve always been on him, I’m like this. Kuki laughed at us when he studied at home: mom, hoot, I seem to be in kindergarten …
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Our torture
Now, George and Hala can’t even imagine the nights in there: They showed it to us on Sunday. We will see him on Thursday. Only ten minutes in the parlor, with the other inmates, a police officer was present. We brought him water, chips, bread, juice, cheeses, all stuff in plastic containers, no tuna because in the metal boxes. He does not smoke, but we brought him cigarettes: in prison, they are an exchange currency. A suffering: His, ours. On the physical he doesn’t have many signs, but honestly we can’t say what really happened: he couldn’t give us the details of what they did to him. It is good that he is alive, but then what? He is a strong boy, for this heavy situation, he knows what he risks, psychologically proven. They tortured him with electric cables … Our torture what’s going on. This wait, without knowing what they will do with it. If there is nothing against him, just let him out !.
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It didn’t hurt anyone
Not easy. Be careful not to make mistakes. Zaki’s parents weigh the sighs, they know that everything will be read and spied on, they give a meager release on the net and they agree to meet only the Italian press, with the Egyptian media we don’t want to talk: in the breakfast nook every statement a consultation with the lawyer, with a family friend, with his daughter Murise, 24 years old and a bank place, the only one who knows English. Nothing to say on government TV that accuse Zaki for his Bolognese research in the world of omosex, a crime around here: They just want to exploit the situation and talk aboutthe things they don’t know…. Better to clarify that the boy is not an unconscious: He defends his free opinions, but knows the limits well. Of course, we were a little worried about his civil commitment, you know how young people are, they have their mentality. However, when we saw that he loved what he did, we left him free. Always to repeat that we are a peaceful family, our son has done nothing wrong and has never been a threat or danger to anyone, on the contrary: he has supported and helped many people. What happened at the airport, a mystery: There was a September report and he knew nothing about it. They stopped him for that, for Facebook posts. And for his questions on the Regeni case: They confiscated everything from him: documents, glasses, clothes, passport, mobile phone, laptop, university card. They interrogated him illegally for thirty hours. And then, yes, they also asked him about his ties with Giulio Regeni’s family. Do you know them well? Since 2016, that Italian boy has been talked about on all social media and Patrick also knew the case, had been interested in it. A family relationship with Italian things: Do you know that Patrick’s great-grandfather worked at the Italian embassy in Cairo? So a card to use … His friends from Bologna spoke, incredible how many he has after five months. By the Italian government, however, no one has shown up yet. We hope that at least the Church in the Vatican will pray for us. Tomorrow there will be another visit to prison: We bring the books to Patrick. He asked to study, he wants to be ready for the March exams. Our hope his strength.
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February 12, 2020 (change February 12, 2020 | 07:52)
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