Egyptian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the death of a 21-year-old university student, who reportedly died from torture while in police custody in Belqas, a town in the northern governorate of Dakahliya.
Ebrahim Elmorsy, the lawyer representing the deceased Ayman Sabry Abdel Wahab, told Al Manassa that the Mansoura Public Prosecution questioned the Belqas police station chief on Monday. It is now hearing testimony from several officers, including the officer accused of carrying out the torture.
The case file was transferred from the Belqas district prosecution to the higher-level Mansoura Public Prosecution, Elmorsy said, adding that prosecutors visited Belqas prison on Monday, where they interviewed all inmates who shared Cell No. 6 with Abdel Wahab.
“They confirmed that Ayman had been beaten and tortured by an officer, a detective, and another inmate,” Elmorsy said.
The prosecution also examined Abdel Wahab’s body, photographing visible injuries. The forensic report has not yet been submitted and is expected in several days.
On Sunday evening, videos depicting unrest in Belqas emerged on X showing residents clashing with police. Social media users attributed these protests to the alleged torture and death of Abdel Wahab at the local police station.
In its first public comment on the incident, the Ministry of Interior 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.
Meanwhile, 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.
Misinformation and protest videos
Multiple videos purportedly showing clashes between Belqas residents and police circulated online early Monday. In one clip, dozens of people hurl stones at a police vehicle, forcing it to retreat.
However, a Facebook page dedicated to fact-checking Arabic content, “FactCheckar,” reported Monday that several of the widely shared clips were unrelated to the incident. One, it said, dated back to 2019 and showed protests in Cairo’s Talaat Harb Street. The footage included a well-known confectionery shop visible in the frame.
On its end, the Interior Ministry issued another statement yesterday, denying reports of current protests. A security source, unnamed in the statement, claimed that the videos were old and had been republished by what the ministry described as “troll factories of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group” to spread false information.
According to the statement, these efforts aimed to mislead the public and fabricate support for the Brotherhood’s alleged incitement campaigns. Legal action, the ministry added, would be taken against those responsible for spreading the footage.
While the circulation of outdated clips neither confirms nor refutes the occurrence of protests in Belqas, some newer videos provide additional context. These clips feature posters promoting Eyad Mahmoud Saleh, a candidate from the newly formed National Front Party, for the recent Senate elections in the background.
Screenshot from a video of the Belqas protests. July 27, 2025Echoes of the past
The incident has drawn comparisons to previous deaths in custody, notably that of Mahmoud Mohamed Asaad—known as Mahmoud Mika—who died in April inside the Khalifa police station.
Seventeen human rights organizations demanded an investigation after his body showed apparent signs of torture, including deep wounds and bruises resembling flogging.
However, the Interior Ministry claimed attributed Mika’s death to a fight with another detainee, 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 that 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.
