Special Report - The killing of tunnel workers AOHR 7-1-2010

Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK

Special report about the killing of tunnel workers AOHR 7-1-2010
Away from eye witnesses In the name of sovereignty, the Egyptian government sprays poisonous gas to hunt for and kill tunnel workers on the border with the Gaza Strip

Summary

Of the 265 kilometers, which is the length of the borders between Egypt and Palestine (1), the Egyptian government is taking strict measures along 10 km only, which is the length of borders between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, under the pretext of protecting Egyptian national security. They claim that the measures taken on the border are non-negotiable sovereignty measures. Meanwhile, throughout the remaining 255 km, Egypt cannot move a rock without taking permission from the Israeli government. In addition, it cannot practice that same policy at the Gaza Strip borders expect to implement practices approved by the Israeli government in order to confront African immigrants, about whom we’ll mention later.

In the name of sovereignty, the government’s policy at the borders was translated into a form of orders to the security personnel, to use all kinds of force with the Gaza Strip citizens, especially tunnel workers, who provide food and medicine, in light of the complete closure of borders and tightening of the blockade against Gaza Strip.

Egyptian security forces used deadly force in its “war” against tunnel workers between Gaza Strip and Egypt and carried out premeditated killing of people under ground, and away from the eyes of the world, and throughout research, 53 death cases have been document as having died due to inhaling a poisonous gas Egypt security forces sprays inside tunnels which causes suffocation and quick death. No one knows what this deadly weapon, used by the Egyptian security forces, is as there are no projectiles and there no laboratory testing, advanced enough, in Gaza Strip to find out what it is. Moreover, the Egyptian government used explosives, pumped waste water, and caused artificial vibration in order to destroy tunnels over the heads of people working in them, without a warning.

Egyptian practices caused the killing of a large number of workers inside the tunnels, intentionally, and against international law, in the name of  Egyptian sovereignty. Sovereignty does not give government officials the right to use deadly means against others; but rather measures stipulated by international law are to be used in these cases.

The Egyptian practices at the borders with Gaza Strip are carried out under a complete supervision and support from U.S. and Israel, and most of the European Union Countries and this explains the Egyptian government’s persistence in its measures and the absence of any criticism of such practices despite their gravity, as will be explained in detail in this report.

The Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK confirms that the Egyptian government, by using these measures, has turned its security forces into “deadly tools”, in order to implement security measures that do not take into account the bases of international humanitarian law which would have serious legal and judicial implications against officials in the Egyptian government.

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