The Torture Career of Egypt's New Vice President: Omar Suleiman and the Rendition to Torture Program

The Torture Career of Egypt's New Vice President: Omar Suleiman and the 
Rendition to Torture Program 

 
 
 
 
  

  
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In response to the mass protests of recent days, Egyptian President  
Hosni Mubarak has appointed his first Vice President in his over 30  years rule, 
intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. When Suleiman was first  announced, Aljazeera 
commentators were describing him as a  "distinguished" and "respected " man. It 
turns out, however, that he is  distinguished for, among other things, his 
central role in Egyptian  torture and in the US rendition to torture program. 
Further, he is  "respected" by US officials for his cooperation with their 
torture  plans, among other initiatives.
Katherine Hawkins, an expert on the US's rendition to torture program, in an 
email, has sent some  critical texts where Suleiman pops up. Thus, Jane Mayer, 
in The Dark Side, pointed to Suleiman's role in the rendition program:
Each rendition was authorized at the very top levels of  both governments....The 
long-serving chief of the Egyptian central  intelligence agency, Omar Suleiman, 
    negotiated directly with top  Agency officials.  [Former U.S. Ambassador to 
Egypt] Walker described  the Egyptian counterpart, Suleiman, as "very bright, 
very realistic,"  adding that he was cognizant that there was a downside to 
"some of the  negative things that the Egyptians engaged in, of torture and so 
on. But  he was not squeamish, by the way" (pp. 113).
Stephen Grey, in Ghost Plane, his investigative work on the rendition program 
also points to Suleiman as central in the rendition program:
To negotiate these assurances [that the Egyptians  wouldn't "torture" the 
prisoner delivered for torture] the CIA dealt  principally in Egypt through Omar 
Suleiman, the chief of the Egyptian  general intelligence service (EGIS) since 
1993. It was he who arranged  the meetings with the Egyptian interior 
ministry.... Suleiman, who  understood English well, was an urbane and 
sophisticated man. Others  told me that for years Suleiman was America's chief 
interlocutor with  the Egyptian regime -- the main channel to President Hosni 
Mubarak  himself, even on matters far removed from intelligence and security.
Suleiman's role in the rendition program was also highlighted in a Wikileaks  
cable:
the context of the close and sustained cooperation  between the USG and GOE on 
counterterrorism, Post believes that the  written GOE assurances regarding the 
return of three Egyptians detained  at Guantanamo (reftel) represent the firm 
commitment of the GOE to  adhere to the requested principles. These assurances 
were passed  directly from Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS) Chief 
Soliman  through liaison channels -- the most effective communication path on  
this issue. General Soliman's word is the GOE's guarantee, and the GOE's  track 
record of cooperation on CT issues lends further support to this  assessment. 
End summary.
Suleiman wasn't just the go-to bureaucrat for when the Americans  wanted to 
arrange a little torture. This "urbane and sophisticated man"  apparently 
enjoyed a little rough stuff himself.
Shortly after 9/11, Australian citizen Mamdouh Habib was captured by  Pakistani 
security forces and, under US pressure, torture by Pakistanis.  He was then 
rendered (with an Australian diplomats watching) by CIA  operatives to Egypt, a 
not uncommon practice. In Egypt, Habib merited  Suleiman's personal attention. 
As related by Richard Neville, based on Habib's memoir:
Habib was interrogated by the country's Intelligence  Director, General Omar 
Suleiman.... Suleiman took a personal interest in  anyone suspected of links 
with Al Qaeda. As Habib had visited  Afghanistan shortly before  9/11, he was 
under suspicion. Habib was  repeatedly zapped with high-voltage electricity, 
immersed in water up to  his nostrils, beaten, his fingers were broken and he 
was hung from  metal hooks.
That treatment wasn't enough for Suleiman, so:
To loosen Habib's tongue, Suleiman ordered a guard to  murder a gruesomely 
shackled Turkistan prisoner in front of Habib  -" and  he did, with a vicious 
karate kick.
After Suleiman's men extracted Habib's confession, he was transferred  back to 
US custody, where he eventually was imprisoned at Guantanamo.  His "confession" 
was then used as evidence in his Guantanamo trial.
The Washington Pos t's intelligence correspondent Jeff Stein reported some 
additional details regarding Suleiman and his important role in the old Egypt 
the demonstrators are trying to leave behind:
"Suleiman is seen by some analysts as a possible successor to the president," 
the Voice of American said Friday. "He earned international respect for his role 
as a mediator in Middle East affairs and for curbing Islamic extremism."
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Stephen Soldz is psychoanalyst, psychologist, public health researcher, and 
faculty member at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. He is co-founder 
of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology (more...)
  
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