Assiut–Demolition orders issued Tuesday for unlicensed homes built in the Dayrout township in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Assiut have reportedly led to the eviction of some 120 families.
Residents say police refused to look at the title deeds in their possession, threw their furniture out of their homes and beat them, causing a number of serious injuries.
"Police beat me, handcuffed me in front of my children, and didn’t release me until after they had completely demolished my house," said resident Safwat Mikhail. "And they did the same thing to about 20 other families."
"I have a family of 15. Where are we supposed to go now?" complained resident Emad Mounir. "They should have at least first provided us with alternative housing."
Saleh Ahmed, another local resident, said his home had been raided by police who beat his wife and mother in an effort to force their departure.
The dire situation prompted resident Shafiq Emad to ask: "Why don’t police go after the ministers and big shots that steal state-owned land instead of beating us poor people?"
Residents went on to urge President Hosni Mubarak to help them out of their predicament.
Local municipal council head Gamal Abbas, for his part, defended the demolitions, saying that the homes in question had been built without licenses on state-owned land.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
