AUSTRALIAN COPTIC ASSOCIATION – YOUTH BRANCH

“Security forces in el-Kosheh harrass village Copts”

National Security Forces have been questioning Copts in the predominatly Coptic Hamlet of “El-Kosheh” regarding the whereabouts of “Shaiboob William Arsal” , a Copt who is currently serving a 15 year jail sentence with hard labour for a crime he did not committ.

For those who do not know the background, Shaiboob was arrested in 1998 accused of murdering his two cousins in El-Kosheh. The two Coptic victims were murdered by neighbouring Muslims.

In an effort to cover up the murder, the local authorities decided that they would frame a Coptic Christian instead. To do this, they required a witness so the police started calling in village Copts to testify against a fellow Christian.

A total of 1200 Coptic Christians including the elderly, women and children were tortured by the Egyptian police for over a month. Young boys were tied from their legs and left hanging off a fan, young girls were threatened with rape, and there were reports that babies were taken away from their mothers and thrown on the ground. Electric shocks were applied to sensitive parts of the body.

Eventually Shaiboob William was charged and convicted of Murder, after two Christians testified under torture. Shaiboob has now served close to 5 years of a 15-year jail sentence.

One asks the question, if Shaiboob William is currently serving a jail sentence in prison, why are the Egyptian Security Forces asking local Coptic Villagers about his whereabouts? Only time will tell.

As we all look forward to the Court decision on January 27 regarding the millenium massacres (3 years later) we should not forget the plight of Shaiboob William, His wife and children and the permanent scars left on the 1200 Copts who were tortured by Egyptian police, some of which were rewarded up to $1000 Egyptian Pounds for their efforts.

In the meantime we should all rally behind the efforts of US Copts Association with their recent initiative in preparing a case for the International Criminal Court at The Hague. A case is being prepared and its submission will be subject to the January 27 court findings.

If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to e-mail

Peter Tadros

AUSTRALIAN COPTIC ASSOCIATION – YOUTH BRANCH PO BOX 571 BLACKTOWN NSW 2148 Ph 0412 022 584 Fax:(02) 9626-8284 Email Web: http://www.copts.com ——————————————————————– Worldwide Photos Ltd—–<> The Religious Media Agency – Ramon A.Williams PO Box 494 – Padstow NSW 2211 – AUSTRALIA tel: +61-2-9792-2393 – fax: +61-2-9792-2881 http://au.photos.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams ——————————————————————- Telling others, what others are doing for the Lord.

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