Download this page in PDF formatTel Aviv: The young man from Sudan holds his arms close to his sides, as if still at the mercy of smugglers who he says 
poured hot melted plastic over his back, whipped him with wires and beat him with sticks as he lay face down and naked.
He pulls up his shirt to reveal scars that crisscross his arms, back and stomach.
Mutasim Qamrawi is among a growing number of African migrants reporting they were tortured in Egypt’s Sinai desert by smugglers despite promises to sneak them into Israel, where they hoped to find freedom and a decent job.
The smugglers then extorted the migrants’ families for more money.
“You sit in your own grave until you can get the money. That is the only way to leave — or death,” said Qamrawi, 22, who was held in captivity for four months. Human rights advocates say the situation is worsening, because smugglers are using harsher torture methods and demanding more money — as much as USD 40,000.
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