Audio allegedly leaked from Sisi’s office enrages Egyptian tweeters
Media roundup by BBC Monitoring on 28 December
Egyptian Twitter users have been infuriated by the audio clip reportedly leaked from Al-Sisi’s office, who was the defence minister at the time, revealing an official’s intention to speak to a judge about a case involving a brigadier general’s son.
Following the broadcast of the clip on 27 December evening, several hashtags were created, most prominently an Arabic one called “#AlSharq_leak_from_AlSisi_office” which attracted more than 35,000 tweets in less than 24 hours. Comments ranged between rage and sarcastic criticism. No posts supporting or doubting the leaked clip were observed.
The leaked audio, the second of its kind in less than one month, revealed a conversation between two men reportedly Al-Sisi’s Bureau Chief Gen Abbas Kamil and Defence Minister’s Assistant Mamduh Shahin. The man identified as Kamil can be heard as asking the one said to be Shahin to do something about the case of the killing of 37 detainees after they were gassed in their deportation van after allegedly trying to escape, as one of the four officers accused of manslaughter is the son of Brigadier General Abd-al-Fattah Hilmi, the assistant director of the War Veterans Association. Shahin could then be heard promising to “talk to the judge” about it.
“What will they tell God?”
Several Tweeters circulated pictures of the corpses of the gassed detainees.
“#AlSharq_leak_from_AlSisi_office these are the corpses of those who died in the police deportation van, which Mamduh Shahin promised to talk to the judge about in order to acquit their killers,” @ba7ibik_ya_masr tweeted in Arabic.
Another user @OmShahd18 tweeted the victims’ picture along with a photo for the officer, who is the subject of the leaked clip, while smiling. “His daddy’s spoilt kid is laughing because his father spoke to Shahin who had a word with the judge; what will they tell God - the judge of all judges? #AlSharq_leak_from_AlSisi_office,” she said.
“An officer kills 37 citizens and gets acquitted; an officer gets killed so 528 people receive a death sentence; see how as a citizen you have no value in the military men’s state,”@hamdi_ali93 tweeted in Arabic.
“Judiciary under rule of military men”
Others ridiculed what they saw as the military’s control over the judiciary.
@tareekelhedaya posted two cartoons; one showing a statue of a blindfolded woman holding in one hand the justice scale and in the other hand a sword while a soldier uncovers her feet to reveal she is wearing military boots. The other cartoon shows a judge surrounded by three officers - one whispering in his ears, another holding his tie while raising a paper in front of his eyes and the third holding his gavel - with an Arabic sentence reading: “The judiciary under the rule of military men” written at the top of the cartoon.
“#AlSharq_leak_from_AlSisi_office if anyone asks you about the judiciary in Egypt tell him wait I will talk to the judge,” @hamdy_ali93 tweeted in Arabic.
“Soap opera”
Some also poked fun at the leaking of two clips from Al-Sisi’s office in less than a month.
@Ronna56 tweeted in Arabic: “Oh no! If we stay like this we can have a 20-episode soap opera that attracts commercials as well #AlSharq_leak_from_AlSisi_office.”
@AmrKhairi tweeted in Arabic: “These are no longer mere leaks they have become the Star Academy [a famous singing competition in the Arab region] dailies.”
Source: as listed in Arabic 28 Dec 14
