Mamdouh Habib has revealed his harrowing prison experience and continuing demands for a public apology over his wrongful imprisonment.
Speaking at a public meeting in Newtown last week, the falsely accused terrorist recounted being tortured and his recent legal battles to reissue an Australian passport.
“It’s distressing and I hate to talk about it. It was non-human; you’re never going to believe it in your life,” he said.
A few weeks ago, the Australian Government returned Mr Habib’s Australian passport after ten years.
Mr Habib was able to secure his passport return after WikiLeaks confirmed Mamdouh’s torture under the former Egyptian regime with the knowledge of the Australian Government.
“I went to the government and said, ‘Listen, I have this evidence and this is the witness’.
“In Egypt they had people giving evidence and I employed people in Egypt to find the witnesses against the officials of Australia. I’m going to give you names. I’m not scared of it,” Mr Habib said.
Mr Habib also talked about his capture in Pakistan in 2001 before he was taken to Egypt and kept in an underground facility and tortured for more than 6 months. It was here he came face to face with Omar Suleiman – the former head of the Egyptian security forces and Jamal Mubarak –the son of the former president.
“I’d been kidnapped and I was taken to Egypt for no reason. They tried to make me admit something I hadn’t done.
“I never saw the sun. I was a fighter. I had handcuffs and shackles and was tied like a spring-roll but I kept fighting,” said Mr Habib.
After his torture in Egypt, Mamdouh was handed over to the U.S. Military at Guantanamo Bay and held for three and a half years before he was released without being charged for any offences.
Mr Habib will travel to Egypt later this month with his lawyer, other victims of the past regime and supporters to sue the former regime over his torture and wrongful imprisonment.
“We’re going to sue Mubarak’s son and the Minister of the Police and another agency.
“The first witness in the world against Suleiman and his agency is me. That’s why my life is at risk” he said.
Mr Habib is still demanding a public apology from the Australian Government over his past torture and imprisonment in Egypt and Guantanamo Bay.
Simone White, a member of Socialist Alternative, praised Mamdouh Habib for speaking out about his ordeal.
“I think Mamdouh really inspires people to see that when you fight against injustice you can have victories,” she said.
By Vanessa Zhang
