Post-Mubarak Egypt Wants Police Force Reined In

The police force in Egypt was the backbone of 30-year dictator Hosni Mubarak's government. During the heady days of the revolution, demonstrators fought pitched battles with the police, a force trained to crush all opposition with violence. Now, human rights groups say the police must be a top priority of reform under the new Islamist president's rule. NPR's Leila Fadel reports.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Now to Egypt, where human rights groups are pressing for sweeping reforms that country's police force. During the heady days of the revolution, demonstrators fought pitched battles with Egyptian police, a force trained to crush all opposition with violence. As NPR's Leila Fadel reports from Cairo, those pushing for reform say they've seen no indication that change is near.

LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: The trouble in the slum of Ramlet el Boulaq began after administrators at a nearby mall and hotel refused to pay the salaries of guards hired from the area. The guards protested and a confrontation ensued. Video of the clashes and raids were posted on YouTube.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO)

FADEL: One of the local guards was killed. Police say they killed him in self-defense, but human rights groups and witnesses say the man was unarmed when he was shot dead.

KARIMA SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken)

FADEL: Local resident Karima Suleiman says her husband tried to help the victim, but then he too was shot and wounded as was her son. The youngest boy, only 14, was so angry he went and threw rocks at security forces. He was then detained and beaten, his front teeth knocked out of his mouth.

After the shootings, angry residents set cars on fire. The police responded by bombarding the neighborhood with tear gas and raiding homes. The raids in this slum of mud-brick shacks and sewage-soaked roads haven't stopped. More than 40 men have been detained, many others have fled the neighborhood including Karima's sons and husband.

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Post-Mubarak Egypt Wants Police Force Reined In