Protests broke out in the Nile Delta town of Belqas early Monday following the death of a 21-year-old university student in police custody. Claims circulated online that he died “under torture at the Belqas police station,” while the Interior Ministry stated he “died in hospital as a result of sudden fatigue.”
Videos posted to social media platform X appeared to show dozens of residents clashing with security forces and throwing stones at a police vehicle, which later withdrew from the area.
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The Egyptian Network for Human Rights, a human rights organization, identified the deceased as Ayman Sabry Abdel Wahab, who was reportedly detained on July 19 and held without being presented to the public prosecutor within the legally mandated timeframe.
According to the group, Abdel Wahab was subjected to “a week of deadly torture” while in the investigations unit of Belqas police station. His health allegedly deteriorated sharply, yet he was neither transferred to a hospital nor released on medical grounds.
The network said Abdel Wahab collapsed during a family visit last Friday, handing relatives a note listing medications without explanation. He died later that day, but the group claims his family was not officially notified of his death until early Sunday morning, after being informed by their lawyer.
In a statement issued today, the Interior Ministry did not deny the death, but asserted the individual had been remanded by prosecutors on July 21, pending investigation into drug trafficking and weapons possession. The ministry stated he experienced sudden fatigue on July 26 and died at an unspecified hospital.
“Two other detainees held with him didn’t suspect foul play,” the statement read. It added that the family had been informed and the public prosecutor had ordered a forensic examination and authorized burial.
Online comparisons quickly emerged linking Abdel Wahab’s case to the 2010 death of Khaled Said in Alexandria. Murdered at the hands of police, the forensic report then suggested Said had died after swallowing a bag of cannabis, a narrative contradicted by torture marks on his body.
His death became a catalyst for the 25 January Revolution.
This repeated scenario recalls the death of Mahmoud Mohamed Asaad, known as “Mahmoud Mika,” who died in custody at Khalifa police station on April 10.
Seventeen human rights organizations demanded an investigation after his body showed apparent signs of torture, including deep wounds and bruises resembling flogging.
At the time, the Interior Ministry claimed Mika died in a fight with another inmate, prompting rights groups, including the Egyptian Network for Human Rights, to condemn what they described as a growing pattern of deaths in detention and called for greater accountability.
Adding international weight to these accusations, the United Nations Committee Against Torture stated in its 2023 report torture in Egypt appeared to be practiced in a “systematic and widespread” manner. It urged the closure of unofficial detention sites and the criminalization of enforced disappearances.
Egypt, a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture since 1986, is therefore required to submit regular reports on its compliance.
