이집트 경찰, 진료기록 위조 거부한 의사 집단폭행 ‘시민들 뿔났다’

* ‘아시아엔’ 연수 외국기자가 작성한 기사의 한글요약본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.

[아시아엔=라드와 아시라프 기자·번역 최정아 기자] 지난 12일(현지 시간) 수천명의 이집트 의사들이 수도 카이로에서 경찰 9명이 의사 2명을 집단 폭행한 것에 항의하는 대규모 시위를 벌였다.

현지보도에 따르면, 경찰 9명은 1월28일 의사 2명이 진료기록을 위조하라는 명령을 거부했다는 이유로 집단폭행을 저질렀다. 하지만 검찰은 해당 가해자들을 지난 11일 석방했다. 이에 따라 의사뿐만 아니라 시민들 또한 검찰의 가해자 석방조치에 불만을 터뜨리면서 시위 열기가 더욱 높아지고 있다.

후세인 카이리 이집트의사협회 회장은 <AFP>에 ?“의사의 안전을 위해 해당 가해자들을 법정에 세워야한다”고 주장했다. 의사협회는 “내무부 장관뿐만 아니라?보건부 장관 아프메드 이마드가 의사들의 권리를 보호하는데 실패했다”고 비판하며 의사들에게 폭력을 가한 경찰들이 정당한 심판을 받아야한다고 요구했다.?이들은 “모든 병원에 CCTV 설치를 의무화하고, 병원 경호원을 제외한 무장경찰·군인의 병원출입을 금해야한다”며 “오는 20일부터 이집트 전국 병원에서 시위를 벌일 것”이라고 밝혔다.

이집트 시민들도 의사협회의 시위를 지지하는 분위기다. 현재 이집트 SNS에선 ‘나는 의사협회를 지지합니다’라는 내용의 해쉬태그(#I_support_Doctors_syndicate)가 인기를 끌고 있다. 지난 12일 하루동안 이번 의사폭행사건을 비난하는 트윗이 4만개를 돌파했다. 이번 의사 폭행사건과 관련 내무부 장관은 현재까지 별다른 언급을 피하고 있다.

이집트 언론도 “이집트 혁명이 일어난 뒤 5년이 지났지만, 여전히 정부는 시민들의 요구를 귀담아듣지 않고 있다”며 비판의 목소리를 높이고 있다.

Egyptian doctors’ syndicate stage anti-police rally

Thousands of Egyptian doctors staged a protest Friday 12th February outside their union headquarters in Cairo over a lack of legal action against policemen who beat up two of their colleagues.

Nine policemen are alleged to have assaulted the doctors in a state hospital in Cairo’s northern district of Matareya on January 28 after they refused to forge a medical report. The prosecutor’s office called the nine policemen in for questioning but released them on Thursday, according to Al-Ahram.

The head of the doctors’ syndicate, Hussein Khairi, told AFP: “Our demands, which are very fair, are the safety of doctors while performing their job and that the attackers be taken to court.”

“The interior ministry is thugs,” the protesters chanted as they were joined by over 60 public figures and syndicates’ representatives expressing their solidarity, standing 500 metres (yards) away from four armoured police vehicles. There were no clashes.

The syndicate’s general assembly vowed to carry out escalating measures by holding nationwide protests on February 20 in hospitals across the nation if its demands are not met. They also demanded the sacking of the Health Minister, Ahmed Emad, due to his failure to protect the doctors on duty, according to AlJazeera.

The doctors also demanded the installation of CCTV cameras in ER sections and hospitals passages, to guarantee theirs and patient’s rights; also, no armed person enters any medical facility except the facility’s security personnel only. The assembly also agreed to give the rights to doctors to strike if they are being attacked or their medical workplace is being attacked.

The protesting doctors have assured they won’t end their strike unless the minister resigns. Activists expressing solidarity with the doctors have initiated the Hashtag #I_support_Doctors_syndicate” in Arabic that was trending in Egypt on Friday with over 40,000 tweets.

While the interior ministry didn’t release any comments so far, a large number of public figures showed their solidarity on social media, criticising the ministry and the way media dealt with the protests. Bassem Youssef, the renowned TV show presenter criticised the media coverage saying, “After five years (since the revolution) the camera is still focused on the empty street. It’s no longer about faking news, it’s the government’s way of telling us that their interior ministry and media along with many other ministries support thugs, regardless of what citizens demand. It’s no surprise after TV presenters confessed that they all read from the same script previously approved by the government.”

One the same, Cairo University’ head Gaber Nassar issued a decision to ban female doctors and nurses from wearing face veils in all of the university’s hospitals and clinics starting from Sunday 14th February. According to Ahram Online, the decision will be applied on doctors, nurses, hospital technical assistants and all staff in Qasr Al-Aini hospital as well as other medical facilities owned by the state-owned university, to “protect the rights of patients and work interest.”