0:00:09 > 0:00:11The brutal attack on Syrian civilans in Ghouta seems
0:00:11 > 0:00:12like bloodthirsty madness.
0:00:12 > 0:00:18But is there a method behind it?
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Unicef issued a blank press release today to describe
0:00:20 > 0:00:23what's happening in Syria because, they say, there are no
0:00:23 > 0:00:24words to describe it.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And yet there are.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31What Assad wants is to repeat what happened last March in Homs,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33when the rebels agreed to evacuate rather than further harm
0:00:33 > 0:00:35the local population.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Closing out this opposition stronghold in East Ghouta would
0:00:39 > 0:00:41effectively represent an opposition strategic defeat, and the effective
0:00:41 > 0:00:45or de facto victory of the regime in Syria.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48We'll ask the UN's man in Syria what,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50if anything, the outside world can do.
0:00:50 > 0:00:58Also tonight...
0:00:59 > 0:01:04We go to the airport, I cannot get on the plane with bottled water, but
0:01:04 > 0:01:07we leave it to some animal to walk into a school and shoot our
0:01:07 > 0:01:08children.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Silence from the President as he hears from the families
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and the survivors of Florida.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14But is he listening?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And this is what Egypt looks like in the years
0:01:17 > 0:01:19after the Tahrir Square uprising.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21A military regime more violent and repressive than ever.
0:01:21 > 0:01:29And far quicker to resort to torture.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Good evening.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49The UN has described the situation in Syria's Eastern Ghoutta
0:01:49 > 0:01:53as "hell on earth".
0:01:53 > 0:01:56In the face of so much bloodshed, it seems crazy, unthinking perhaps,
0:01:56 > 0:01:57to talk about strategy.
0:01:57 > 0:02:03But as the world is forced - by the sheer level of inhumanity -
0:02:03 > 0:02:06to look up, tonight we try to explain to you what
0:02:06 > 0:02:07the Assad plan is.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09The answer could lie in looking at what has happened
0:02:09 > 0:02:11elsewhere in Syria - sustained attacks and bombing
0:02:11 > 0:02:13of civilians that raises the pain-level of the local
0:02:13 > 0:02:15population to a point where they are ready to turn
0:02:15 > 0:02:18on the rebels in their midst and agree an evacuation.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It worked for Assad in Homs, and in Aleppo.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Rebels eventually agreed to be bussed out en masse.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Here's our diplomatic editor, Mark Urban.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32Take in the local media outlets covering Syria,
0:02:32 > 0:02:33and you'll learn much about the objectives and tactics
0:02:33 > 0:02:41in this latest offensive.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Syria's own new agency emphasises the role of East Ghoutta as a haven
0:02:47 > 0:02:49for terrorists who've been shelling areas of the capital for years,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51and indeed, in recent days.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53TRANSLATION:The city of Damascus is full of good
0:02:53 > 0:02:56people who face terrorism and are living their normal lives
0:02:56 > 0:02:59despite all the mortars that are fired at them.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04We call on the Syrian Army to hit them with an iron fist.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07TRANSLATION:If we had evacuated and stayed at home every
0:03:07 > 0:03:09time the mortars fell, we definitely would not have
0:03:09 > 0:03:10remained steadfast at this stage.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12School exams will continue, as postponing them
0:03:12 > 0:03:18wouldn't be of any use.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24Syrian Army video also portrays operations against East
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Ghouta as a war on terror, setting it to suitably heroic music.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33With rebel groups mopped up in the east and other major
0:03:33 > 0:03:36centres like Aleppo, the Army is now free to bring more
0:03:36 > 0:03:41firepower to bear against the last major centre of resistance
0:03:41 > 0:03:45near the capital.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Closing out this opposition stronghold in East Ghoutta
0:03:47 > 0:03:52would effectively represent an opposition strategic defeat,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55and the effective or de facto victory of the regime in Syria,
0:03:55 > 0:04:02so the significance is huge, which I guess is why many of us
0:04:02 > 0:04:04would be questioning why the international community
0:04:04 > 0:04:09is paying relatively little attention to what is happening.
0:04:09 > 0:04:15Pro-regime media has this week shown armoured units being moved up
0:04:15 > 0:04:16in preparation for ground attacks on the rebel enclave.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23In the meantime, air strikes are setting the stage.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25What's happening in Eastern Ghouta, essentially, is,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29with the backing of Russia, the Syrian government
0:04:29 > 0:04:35has been deliberately targeting its own people.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38This is part of a wider pattern, a wider strategy, that we have been
0:04:38 > 0:04:44documenting for quite some time now.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46It's essentially the ugly face of the Syrian government's strategy,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48known as "surrender or starve".
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Given the heavy casualties that would be taken in storming Ghouta,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53it's likely the regime will use a playbook it's already applied
0:04:53 > 0:04:58in Homs, Aleppo and elsewhere, raising the pain level
0:04:58 > 0:05:00of the civilian community to such a level that they
0:05:00 > 0:05:01ask rebels to leave.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06That leads to evacuations, often facilitated by humanitarian
0:05:06 > 0:05:10organisations, taking buses out to safe havens elsewhere.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And, indeed, in this report last month by Iran's Press TV,
0:05:14 > 0:05:20a Syrian soldier fighting in Ghoutta talked about the evacuation option.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24TRANSLATION:We gave the terrorists the chance
0:05:24 > 0:05:26to leave to Idlib in green buses.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Now I tell them there are no more green buses.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34Now this is their fate.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39But now the evacuation buses could come back on the agenda,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42as the government seeks to add Ghouta to the list
0:05:42 > 0:05:47of conquered places.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50With the heavier costs they can impose on the civilian
0:05:50 > 0:05:52population to pivot that pressure on the armed opposition,
0:05:52 > 0:05:58to basically give up or surrender, exactly represents their best case
0:05:58 > 0:06:00scenario, but as I say, East Ghouta in particular has been
0:06:00 > 0:06:06besieged de facto for over five years, and still it has consistently
0:06:06 > 0:06:07presented that kind of stalwart, stubborn opposition
0:06:07 > 0:06:10to regime control.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13So I would suggest that, like in Aleppo, we will continue
0:06:13 > 0:06:17to see a steady escalation in the bombing campaign,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and then an eventual ground incursion that, yes,
0:06:19 > 0:06:25probably will eventually lead to that same result.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27After more heavy bombing today, a rebel spokesman in Ghouta said
0:06:27 > 0:06:29ceasefire talks had broken down.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33But the government has capitulation in mind,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and many more people may have to die before those holding out
0:06:36 > 0:06:44in the enclave could agree to that.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Joining me now is Panos Moumtzis, the UN's
0:06:46 > 0:06:47humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.
0:06:47 > 0:06:55And in the studio Dr Lina Khatib from the Chatham House think-tank.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Until that point of evacuation, it is presumably impossible for the UN
0:07:00 > 0:07:07to go in and do its job?At the moment it is impossible, we have no
0:07:07 > 0:07:12or for organisations to go inside although assistance and everything
0:07:12 > 0:07:19we have needed is within ten miles distance. It is often Damascus where
0:07:19 > 0:07:25there is a
0:07:25 > 0:07:30there is a urgent need for food. But more important to protect civilians
0:07:30 > 0:07:33in the enclave where there are thousands of people living at the
0:07:33 > 0:07:38moment. Our only hope at the moment I would say is the Security Council
0:07:38 > 0:07:42resolution being discussed to bring an immediate ceasefire. The ongoing
0:07:42 > 0:07:47discussions I hope will bring results. There is an agreement that
0:07:47 > 0:07:51comes to place for cessation of hostilities that is desperately
0:07:51 > 0:07:55needed.Without the UN Security Council 's, the best way out for
0:07:55 > 0:08:03civilians is a deal.They have to let the rebels giving? At the moment
0:08:03 > 0:08:09it is an extreme situation. Spiralling out of control, because
0:08:09 > 0:08:13it has been heavy bombing that has taken place for three continuous
0:08:13 > 0:08:18days are reports of hundreds killed and many more injured. Health
0:08:18 > 0:08:25facilities have been attacked, water cut, food is low. Electricity, there
0:08:25 > 0:08:31is no electricity in place. People are afraid to go out, most hiding in
0:08:31 > 0:08:36basements. A grim situation. We think of children, families living
0:08:36 > 0:08:46under this.This is a cycle, as we have heard. Each time the evacuation
0:08:46 > 0:08:54happens means that Assad has gained ground. You understand, I guess, how
0:08:54 > 0:09:04involved you are in that cycle?We hope it will not be a repetition of
0:09:04 > 0:09:10what happened in Aleppo, that extreme level where a city or area
0:09:10 > 0:09:15is destroyed and more importantly lives are lost. This is why we are
0:09:15 > 0:09:20calling for a ceasefire. A cessation of hostilities and something needs
0:09:20 > 0:09:25to change. The situation is not business as usual, it is extreme.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Everybody needs to put pressure on to bring a change.Could you put
0:09:30 > 0:09:35more pressure directly from the ground on Assad if you withheld
0:09:35 > 0:09:40humanitarian aid from the pro-rebel areas and said you will not provide
0:09:40 > 0:09:48aid to his pro-regime areas, does that work?No, because we are guided
0:09:48 > 0:09:52by humanitarian principles, to help people indeed in all locations. We
0:09:52 > 0:09:57are not driven by politics but by people need. We do not think it
0:09:57 > 0:10:02right not to help people in extremely dim one location in order
0:10:02 > 0:10:08to bring a change on ground, we are driven by severity of needs criteria
0:10:08 > 0:10:17or where to help.This shows the cycle. The UN is in a position where
0:10:17 > 0:10:22it would not deny anyone humanitarian aid but they are almost
0:10:22 > 0:10:27completing the Assad strategy.Assad has been good at taking advantage of
0:10:27 > 0:10:34opportunities and essentially using UN aid to his advantage but I do not
0:10:34 > 0:10:39think in this case the UN can do very much.You mean on the ground or
0:10:39 > 0:10:46the UN Security Council?The UN on the ground. And the UN Security
0:10:46 > 0:10:52Council has been rendered impotent by the veto. Every time there is a
0:10:52 > 0:10:58proposed resolution can result in that they have vetoed it.I have
0:10:58 > 0:11:03been asking that for seven years. Does the UN have any political
0:11:03 > 0:11:09purpose longer-term?I think the UN can be a vehicle to implement a
0:11:09 > 0:11:13political settlement is Syria but we can no longer rely on the UN to be
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the instigator of a solution to this conflict. I think this is the role
0:11:17 > 0:11:22of the United States and the west in general and sadly we are not seeing
0:11:22 > 0:11:27this political will in the west or the US in particular.That is a
0:11:27 > 0:11:32change because at one stage we said these problems and conflicts have to
0:11:32 > 0:11:37be solved within the region and now you are saying we need intervention,
0:11:37 > 0:11:42you cannot imagine saying that ten years ago, but you say we want the
0:11:42 > 0:11:46US right back on the ground and you want the UK and the rest of the
0:11:46 > 0:11:50country is looking on?I am saying it is political will, I'm not
0:11:50 > 0:11:55talking about military intervention, I do not think that could do much at
0:11:55 > 0:11:59this stage. What we are seeing is the west turning a blind eye to what
0:11:59 > 0:12:05is happening in Syria and Assad and Russia are taking advantage of the
0:12:05 > 0:12:14inaction to widen the scope of their activities
0:12:14 > 0:12:16activities knowing is no accountability. Do you think Assad
0:12:16 > 0:12:19has won the war? He has not, he is taking over areas militarily and
0:12:19 > 0:12:25only doing so by not just making rebels evacuate by force, but by
0:12:25 > 0:12:29making these areas uninhabitable for the original residents. We are
0:12:29 > 0:12:33seeing a process of democratic change in Syria that Assad with
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Russia is orchestrating and this will be damaging for Syria in the
0:12:36 > 0:12:41long run.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44In the UK's highest court, defeat today for the Metropolitan Police
0:12:44 > 0:12:46and a judgment that could have far reaching implications
0:12:46 > 0:12:47for all police and crime victims.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50The Met lost an appeal against the awarding of compensation
0:12:50 > 0:12:56to two victims of the black cab rapist John Worboys over
0:12:56 > 0:12:58the police's failure to investigate him properly.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00The women had argued their treatment by police
0:13:00 > 0:13:01breached their human rights.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03The Metropolitan Police have accepted the ruling
0:13:03 > 0:13:04and are braced for more claims.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I mean, let's be clear, we've always been held
0:13:06 > 0:13:09to account for investigations.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12We have a long history of that and it is right and proper
0:13:12 > 0:13:14that the police service is held to account.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16We are a public service, that's what we do.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Of course, there will be more claims, there is the potential
0:13:19 > 0:13:22for that, and people will no doubt pore over and look at this judgment,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25as we all will, and work through what are the policy implications?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27What do we now need to change?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29What are those things, where do we have to look
0:13:29 > 0:13:32at balance and priorities?
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Well, to discuss whether this is a landmark ruling -
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and what the implications are for both victims
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and the police - I'm joined by the barrister
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Kirsty Brimelow QC.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48Nice to have you. In layman 's terms, what does this actually do?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52What does it change?It's very significant, because what it has now
0:13:52 > 0:13:58set out is that you and I as individuals, if we are subject to
0:13:58 > 0:14:03serious assaults, serious violence is committed against us by an
0:14:03 > 0:14:06individual, and the police commit serious errors in their
0:14:06 > 0:14:12investigation of our complaint to them about the crime committed, we
0:14:12 > 0:14:15can hold them accountable as individuals. So it's moved away from
0:14:15 > 0:14:23any suggestion that the police don't have accountability to an individual
0:14:23 > 0:14:28if it's not them actually who are carrying out the crime.If you were
0:14:28 > 0:14:32in a police force now, would you be worried about the cases that might
0:14:32 > 0:14:38come?The police have an obligation... This is under human
0:14:38 > 0:14:42rights law. They have an obligation to provide an effective
0:14:42 > 0:14:47investigation if there is a crime committed. The article, article
0:14:47 > 0:14:52three, means that we as individuals are protected against inhumane,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57degrading treatment and torture, and its binary. That means the state has
0:14:57 > 0:15:03to pass laws to protect us. In this case there is an offence of rape, so
0:15:03 > 0:15:08somebody cannot commit a rape and there is a punishment for that.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11There is also a procedural obligation on the state that means
0:15:11 > 0:15:19they have to carry out an effective investigation
0:15:19 > 0:15:21investigation if a crime is committed. As for some of the
0:15:21 > 0:15:24comments coming from the police that this is a problem for them, they are
0:15:24 > 0:15:27saying resources, and one of the things they are saying is that they
0:15:27 > 0:15:31may have to move resources away from fraud or these type of allegations,
0:15:31 > 0:15:37but I have to say I don't see that. They are obliged to carry out an
0:15:37 > 0:15:41effective investigation. In this particular case, the Worboys case,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46there were a series of serious omissions from the first complaint
0:15:46 > 0:15:53that was made in 2003, and it took them until 2008 to finally carry out
0:15:53 > 0:15:57a proper investigation into it. And they have apologised. This should be
0:15:57 > 0:16:02good for the police. We want an effective police force for the white
0:16:02 > 0:16:07if you were perhaps one of the young men who have been falsely accused of
0:16:07 > 0:16:11rape. There was the case of the young man whose phone messages have
0:16:11 > 0:16:16been checked. Under this change in this law, would he be able to take
0:16:16 > 0:16:24this grievance? That would be slightly different. There has to be
0:16:24 > 0:16:31a real egregious error.They could have sent him to prison.This seems
0:16:31 > 0:16:37to be more to do with issues of disclosure at the CPS, at the
0:16:37 > 0:16:43prosecution stage. They might be slightly different positions. This
0:16:43 > 0:16:49is where someone is complaining of a crime committed against them,
0:16:49 > 0:16:54someone being prosecuted for a crime. So the same things won't
0:16:54 > 0:17:01apply.What sort of cases due thing will be applied? Individual cases,
0:17:01 > 0:17:08or mass cases like Hillsborough? Is it going to take us to places
0:17:08 > 0:17:13where...What is important is the common law. Through the courts at
0:17:13 > 0:17:17the moment, you cannot bring a case against the police for negligence,
0:17:17 > 0:17:23as an individual. This is a saying that if there has been serious
0:17:23 > 0:17:29failures for a crime committed, very serious, serious violence, inhumane
0:17:29 > 0:17:35treatment or torture, offences like rape, serious assaults, serious
0:17:35 > 0:17:41domestic violence, then with those cases, I could take the police to
0:17:41 > 0:17:44court, sue them, hold them accountable for their lack of
0:17:44 > 0:17:48effective investigation. It doesn't open the floodgates. It's not going
0:17:48 > 0:17:53to be for every single omission or oversight by the police, but it is
0:17:53 > 0:17:58significant, because it should keep the police on their toes in future.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Thank you very much.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Egyptians will vote in presidential elections next month.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07The former army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi looks
0:18:07 > 0:18:08certain of re-election.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Serious challengers have been disqualified, arrested or have
0:18:10 > 0:18:11dropped out of the race.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Human rights groups say the election will be a farce.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16They accuse the President of presiding over an unprecedented
0:18:16 > 0:18:18crackdown on human rights during his four years in office.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Press freedom is also under attack, and Egypt is now in the top three
0:18:21 > 0:18:23countries world wide for jailing journalists.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26But tonight, we bring you a rare opportunity to hear the stories
0:18:26 > 0:18:29of some of those in Egypt who have borne the brunt of the el-Sisi
0:18:29 > 0:18:31regime, courtesy of the BBC's Middle East Correspondent Orla
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Guerin.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37She joins me now.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43One that it is nice to have you. This has been a very tough place to
0:18:43 > 0:18:48work as a journalist.First we should say thank you to our
0:18:48 > 0:18:52interviewees who agreed to be in the film. I have been based in the
0:18:52 > 0:18:58country for four years, and over that time, people have been
0:18:58 > 0:19:02increasingly reluctant to speak. That fear has been palpable. It's
0:19:02 > 0:19:09not just a case of going back to the bad old days to Hosni Mubarak.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Seasoned human rights campaigners would tell you that it's going back
0:19:13 > 0:19:21to the bad old days. Serious. Lots of people being tortured. One of the
0:19:21 > 0:19:26victims said, torture now is a must. In the course of making the film, we
0:19:26 > 0:19:30were in contact with many families whose loved ones had disappeared or
0:19:30 > 0:19:36been tortured, or killed in some cases. They wanted to highlight the
0:19:36 > 0:19:40abuses, but were scared of reprisals and too frightened to tell their
0:19:40 > 0:19:45stories on camera. It was tricky for us to make the film. I have worked
0:19:45 > 0:19:50across the Middle East over the last couple of years, including places
0:19:50 > 0:19:55like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. From my experience, taking out a TV camera
0:19:55 > 0:19:59is more difficult to do in Egypt than any of those countries. The
0:19:59 > 0:20:07minute you do, the police are on you.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09you. They are trying to shut you down. It's a country where
0:20:09 > 0:20:13journalist 's face high risk, particularly local journalists. A
0:20:13 > 0:20:18number of journalists behind bars at any time, and you can be accused of
0:20:18 > 0:20:23spreading false news, which is an offence in Egypt. That can be used
0:20:23 > 0:20:27against journalists and against human rights workers. Let's have a
0:20:27 > 0:20:34look at your piece.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Welcome to Egypt.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Enticing images of timeless hospitality and ancient
0:20:36 > 0:20:38attractions.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43A picture postcard view the authorities are keen to promote.
0:20:43 > 0:20:49But there is another Egypt, a military backed regime.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Where dreams of freedom have been crushed.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56It is understandable to be scared, with a
0:20:56 > 0:21:02regime that is not hesitant about killing.
0:21:02 > 0:21:10I've never seen a regime as bloody as Sisi's regime.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19It all looked so different seven years ago.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24This was Tahrir Square in February 2011.
0:21:24 > 0:21:32The night the people broke free of President Hosni Mubarak.
0:21:32 > 0:21:39Ending 30 years of authoritarian rule.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44Or so they hoped.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46But now the square feels like a place of lost
0:21:46 > 0:21:52opportunity.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Standing here in Tahrir Square seven years on, there is
0:21:55 > 0:22:00really nothing to indicate that this was the cradle of an uprising, that
0:22:00 > 0:22:04it was here that the people toppled an autocrat.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07The monument is bare, no list of names of all of those who
0:22:07 > 0:22:12were killed, and that is just the way the authorities want it.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15It is as if the revolution has been erased
0:22:15 > 0:22:22and along with it the hope it brought.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Icons of the uprising, like Alaa Abd
0:22:24 > 0:22:30El-Fattah, have been treated as enemies of the state.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32He was a leading light of the Tahrir protests.
0:22:32 > 0:22:40Secular, articulate, a software developer.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48Alaa Abd El-Fattah was accused of organising this protest.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52The demonstrators appeared peaceful.
0:22:52 > 0:23:00The authorities were not.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Others told the authorities they organised the
0:23:09 > 0:23:12protest, but he was still sentenced to five years.
0:23:12 > 0:23:20Another member of Egypt's Generation Jail.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27His fractured family go through the motions.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33Without a much-loved son, husband and brother.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Human rights groups say there are thousands like
0:23:35 > 0:23:40them in Egypt, families of political prisoners.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42His sister campaigns against civilians being tried in
0:23:42 > 0:23:47military courts.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52In this household, resistance runs in the family.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But she says the struggle for change is harder than
0:23:55 > 0:24:02ever under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04The level of bloodiness is beyond anything I've
0:24:04 > 0:24:06ever heard or experienced.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09And the way they have managed to desensitise
0:24:09 > 0:24:17people towards death, to belittle the value of people'slives.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23To make people get used to death sentences,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24to forced disappearances and abduction.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29To torture, to torture victims.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34This is becoming daily news.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Her brother has another year to serve, then faces a further five
0:24:37 > 0:24:41years on probation with stringent conditions.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44In this tightly-knit group, the empty space at the table
0:24:44 > 0:24:51is keenly felt.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57Those who end up in custody can expect the harshest treatment.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01My sources say torture is commonplace, but few victims
0:25:01 > 0:25:09are willing to speak.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Mahmood Mohammed Hussein has first-hand experience
0:25:13 > 0:25:20of the latest torture techniques.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22He was accused of attending a banned protest and held
0:25:22 > 0:25:25without trial for more than two years.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28He says the only reason he was arrested, aged just 18, was
0:25:28 > 0:25:31because of his T-shirt.
0:25:31 > 0:25:39The slogan read - a nation without torture.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Aren't you afraid that by speaking out like this,
0:26:21 > 0:26:28that the authorities could come after you again?
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Torture victims used to have one refuge - the Al Nadeem
0:27:00 > 0:27:06Centre in Cairo.
0:27:06 > 0:27:14But, last year, the authorities moved in
0:27:15 > 0:27:16and forced it to close its doors.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Its co-founder, a psychiatrist, says
0:27:18 > 0:27:19the prevalence of torture in the
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Sisi era is the worst she has ever known.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I have worked in this field since 1993.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32And I have been hearing about this field since my university years.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36What I have been seeing and what my colleagues at the centre
0:27:36 > 0:27:41have been seeing since 2013 is unheard of.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It was never, never ever that bad.
0:27:43 > 0:27:51So how widespread would you say the practice is now?
0:27:51 > 0:27:56As widespread as the country. As widespread as the country.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59What would you say to government officials here in Egypt who deny
0:27:59 > 0:28:00there is torture?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02You are liars.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05I would say, you are liars.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I would say you know there is torture
0:28:07 > 0:28:11because you practise it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16And then there are those who are hidden
0:28:16 > 0:28:22behind the sun.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26That's what Egyptians call the growing numbers
0:28:26 > 0:28:30who vanish from the streets and are held in secret by the state.
0:28:30 > 0:28:36Anyone opposing the regime is at risk.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Human rights campaigners say enforced disappearances are a
0:28:38 > 0:28:43trademark of the Sisi era.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47They have documented at least 1500 cases in
0:28:47 > 0:28:53the past four years.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54But they believe the real figure is much
0:28:54 > 0:29:01higher.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06This is Zubaida, a student of 23, who wants to open her own business.
0:29:06 > 0:29:14Her mother says she and Zubaida were arrested near a demonstration
0:29:19 > 0:29:21in 2014 and convicted of offences including
0:29:21 > 0:29:22attending a banned protest.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25She says they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and spent
0:29:25 > 0:29:27seven months in jail, but were later acquitted.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30She tells me that in 2016, Zubaida was detained
0:29:30 > 0:29:36again at a police checkpoint and disappeared.
0:29:36 > 0:29:43She was dumped by the roadside after 28 days, a changed girl.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21But her legal papers show the anguish did not end there.
0:30:21 > 0:30:27As Zubeida was struggling to recover,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30she disappeared for the second time last April.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Her mother says neighbours saw her being taken by
0:30:32 > 0:30:40armed and masked police.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Zubeida's treasured keepsakes are just as she left them,
0:31:06 > 0:31:12waiting for her return.
0:31:12 > 0:31:20Her mother refuses to give up hope, refuses to be silenced.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05We wanted to ask the authorities about Zubeida's disappearance
0:32:05 > 0:32:10and the other cases in this report,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14but they wouldn't give us an interview.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Previously, the authorities had told me there is no
0:32:18 > 0:32:22systematic torture.
0:32:22 > 0:32:28But if mistakes are made, officers are punished.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30They have also denied there are enforced disappearances and
0:32:30 > 0:32:38widespread human rights abuses.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42On the banks of the Nile, there is little hint of change.
0:32:42 > 0:32:48Egypt looks locked in the past.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Elections are coming, but President Sisi
0:32:50 > 0:32:52doesn't need to worry about the outcome.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Several potential challengers have been intimidated
0:32:54 > 0:33:02out of the race.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Many here are concerned about security amid bomb
0:33:04 > 0:33:07attacks by the so-called Islamic State.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11The president says he is waging war on terror.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13But human rights campaigners say he is using
0:33:13 > 0:33:21that as a pretext to wage war on dissent.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Having been here for more than four years, I know a lot of the
0:33:25 > 0:33:28problems that Egypt is facing.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30There are real economic issues.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35There are serious security threats from IS.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39But this is the most populous country in the Arab world and if
0:33:39 > 0:33:44Egypt can't steer a course towards real democracy, that is a problem
0:33:44 > 0:33:48for the Middle East and it is a problem for the west.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50And I'm leaving here with questions.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53How long before all of the repression
0:33:53 > 0:33:56here starts to backfire, and how many more prisons can the regime
0:33:56 > 0:34:04fill?
0:34:07 > 0:34:10And you can see a longer version of Orla's film on Our World this
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Saturday and Sunday at 9.30pm on the BBC News Channel
0:34:12 > 0:34:18and on the iPlayer.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20In the last hour - extraordinary footage
0:34:20 > 0:34:24from the White House.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26President Trump has been meeting - in public - survivors
0:34:26 > 0:34:28of last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
0:34:28 > 0:34:32High School in Florida that killed 17 people.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Also there, relatives of the dead.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40For over half an hour, the President sat almost silent as they laid
0:34:40 > 0:34:44bare their pain and talked of the need to open America's minds
0:34:44 > 0:34:48to all kinds of solutions to gun crime in schools and asked him not
0:34:48 > 0:34:50to allow this to be just one more school shooting.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52The President opened proceedings with some words
0:34:52 > 0:34:55on tougher gun regulations.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59We're going to be very strong on background checks,
0:34:59 > 0:35:04we'll be doing very strong background checks, very strong
0:35:04 > 0:35:07emphasis on the mental health of somebody, and we are going to do
0:35:07 > 0:35:11plenty of other things.
0:35:11 > 0:35:17Once the President had made his opening remarks,
0:35:17 > 0:35:21it was a chance for those whose pain is still raw to have their say.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24My daughter has no voice.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28She was murdered last week, and she was taken from us.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34Shot nine times on the third floor.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38We as a country failed our children.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41This shouldn't happen.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44We go to the airport - I can't get on a plane
0:35:44 > 0:35:49with a bottle of water, but we leave some animal to walk
0:35:49 > 0:35:51into a school and shoot up children.
0:35:51 > 0:35:59It's just not right, and we need to come together
0:36:00 > 0:36:03as a country and work on what's important, and that's protecting
0:36:03 > 0:36:08our children in the schools.
0:36:08 > 0:36:14To feel like this, ever, I can not feel comfortable in my country
0:36:14 > 0:36:23knowing that people have, will have, ever going to feel like this.I want
0:36:23 > 0:36:28to feel safe at school.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34We heard from President Trump at the end of that extraordinary outpouring
0:36:34 > 0:36:38of thought and of pain and one of the ideas President Trump picked up
0:36:38 > 0:36:44bomb was to talk of more guns in schools for specific teachers, he
0:36:44 > 0:36:48said that would be something that could cut short any attack by a
0:36:48 > 0:36:54gunman in that situation. Not maybe the only idea that the students had
0:36:54 > 0:37:04pledged to him but we will see if that goes further in coming days.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Looking at the papers, The Times, more people should get pills to beat
0:37:08 > 0:37:12depression. Extra people should be offered antidepressants in the
0:37:12 > 0:37:19largest study of its kind. Academics investigating anti-Semitism on
0:37:19 > 0:37:23Twitter. That more people shared tweets that challenged any kind of
0:37:23 > 0:37:31racism than shared of the thing itself. In the Guardian newspaper
0:37:31 > 0:37:37the picture of many young people in America marching for gun control. In
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Florida, a day that saw thousands of people across the States to walk out
0:37:42 > 0:37:49and join those marchers. And also the black cab racist given legal
0:37:49 > 0:37:55aid. I think we can cross to the Washington bureau and speak to our
0:37:55 > 0:37:59correspondent in Washington. We saw some of the speakers and heard from
0:37:59 > 0:38:03the president himself. What is your reaction on what impact that has
0:38:03 > 0:38:08made tonight on the President himself.It seems as far as
0:38:08 > 0:38:12President Trump's thinking is concerned the solution to mass
0:38:12 > 0:38:19shootings is not fewer guns, but more. He said he would be backing
0:38:19 > 0:38:25this controversial proposal to basically have more weapons amongst
0:38:25 > 0:38:30school staff, to have teachers armed, perhaps people in other roles
0:38:30 > 0:38:36in the School armed and be able to adopt what is called here concealed
0:38:36 > 0:38:40carrying, to have weapons about their person. That view was
0:38:40 > 0:38:48countered by a man called Mark Burdon, whose son died in the Sandy
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Hook massacre. His wife is a teacher and he said simply that this could
0:38:52 > 0:38:58lead to shoot outs on school property. He said school teachers
0:38:58 > 0:39:04had quite enough to do, based on his wife's example, already, rather than
0:39:04 > 0:39:10act as vigilantes. The president said he was considering tougher
0:39:10 > 0:39:15mental health checks on people who buy guns in the United States and he
0:39:15 > 0:39:20promised his administration would find a solution to this, as he put
0:39:20 > 0:39:25it.For people looking for a political sea change from this
0:39:25 > 0:39:31Republican president, is your sense it will come?Not really. We have
0:39:31 > 0:39:38had over the past days signs the president was keen on limiting
0:39:38 > 0:39:44certain... Putting in place certain limitations on firearms, the backing
0:39:44 > 0:39:49of a bipartisan bill for more stringent back ground checks that
0:39:49 > 0:39:52sort of thing, but he appears to have rowed back completely with the
0:39:52 > 0:39:56idea there should be more guns in schools, not fewer.Thanks.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58That's it for tonight.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Before we go, the world's biggest and best known
0:40:00 > 0:40:02international photography awards, the Sonys, are about to announce
0:40:02 > 0:40:08who's on the coveted shortlist this year.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Here's a sneak peek at some of the top contenders.
0:40:10 > 0:40:18Good night.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40# Like a sound you hear in your ear.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46# No matter what you do, it is going to have a hold on you.
0:40:46 > 0:40:54# California soul.