The U.S. State Department Acting Deputy Department Spokesman, Mark Toner, told journalists at a regular briefing in Washington on Friday that “We have called for – and I believe there is an ongoing investigation in that case, so we support — that investigation” [into the brutal death of Khaled Said soon after being detained by Egyptian police — see our earlier report published here].
It had to be coaxed, and it was in response to a journalist’s question, but there it is.
Here is the full transcript of the brief exchange:
QUESTION: This was June 17th … it also happens to be the same city where a young boy was tortured to death by the Egyptian police. I’m just wondering if the State Department is joining the EU on calling on the Egyptian Government to investigate it and hold those accountable for torturing this boy to death … The boy’s name was Khaled Said. He was a 27-year-old Egyptian blogger and he was tortured to death.
MR. TONER: Yeah. Right. We have called for – and I believe there is an ongoing investigation in that case, so we support that investigation.
QUESTION: Any concerns that Egypt is boiling – could implode as far as the political upheaval that’s taking place there right now calling for constitutional and democratic reform. Are you worried that that might have something – it might make the peace process problematic given the Egyptians are the intermediaries between the Palestinians and the Israelis?
MR. TONER: We always encourage and urge for calm and an adherence to the democratic process.
QUESTION: Do you pressure the Egyptians?
MR. TONER: (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: Because it doesn’t – it looks like that’s been happening for years, but there’s been no pressure.
MR. TONER: I’m not aware of any contacts we’ve had in that regard”…