The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) called on the public prosecutor to intervene to ensure the “transparency, impartiality, and integrity” of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Ayman Ramzy Boutros inside Rod El-Farag Police Station.
In a statement issued on July 4, 2026, EIPR said the investigation should not be limited to determining the cause of death, but should also examine what it described as a “series of violations” he was subjected to from the time of his arrest until his death.
EIPR said Ramzy died on June 27 while in custody, calling for those responsible for his arrest over his religious views to be held accountable, and for an investigation into what it described as his unlawful detention, questioning without a lawyer present, and “negligence in responding to the deterioration of his health” during detention.
According to the statement, Ramzy was arrested at his home on June 1 but was not brought before prosecutors until June 7. EIPR added that his lawyer found that the arrest report was dated June 6, rather than June 1, the date he was actually arrested.
The initiative said it reviewed the prosecution’s investigation report, which said Ramzy was arrested over Facebook posts in which he criticized certain popular Christian beliefs and the drafting of the personal status law for Christians.
El-Sahel Prosecution charged Ramzy with “leading a group established in violation of the law with the aim of harming national unity and social peace” and “exploiting religion to promote extremist ideas with the intent of insulting the Abrahamic religions,” before ordering his pretrial detention in Case No. 7847 of 2026 (El-Sahel Misdemeanors).
EIPR said Ramzy was denied access to a lawyer during his first interrogation session. He was initially held at El-Sahel Police Station before being transferred to Rod El-Farag Police Station, where a lawyer from the defense team observed during a June 9 detention renewal hearing that his health had deteriorated significantly and that he was unable to stand or move without assistance.
The defense requested that Ramzy be examined by the Forensic Medicine Authority, that his medical condition be officially documented, and that prosecutors review surveillance camera footage and hear testimony from witnesses at the detention facility, EIPR said. According to the statement, the prosecution did not respond to those requests.
In a report dated June 16, Ramzy told prosecutors he had suffered injuries to his head and left leg after falling in the bathroom at Rod El-Farag Police Station. He requested a transfer to a government hospital for treatment because he was suffering from dizziness and could not stand. Although prosecutors ordered the transfer, the initiative said there was “no evidence” that the order was carried out before his death on June 27.
The defense team filed a complaint with the Public Prosecution on the day of his death, requesting an investigation into the circumstances, EIPR said. Prosecutors heard testimony from the deceased’s brother, ordered statements to be taken from detainees and officers at Rod El-Farag Police Station, and ordered an autopsy, with the forensic report to follow.
Ramzy’s death was the second among detainees that EIPR said had been targeted in a security campaign against nonbelievers and those with dissenting religious views since September 2025. Another detainee died in January while in pretrial detention at 10th of Ramadan Prison 6 in Case No. 6954 of 2025 (Supreme State Security).
EIPR called for the autopsy report to be completed promptly, for surveillance footage from El-Sahel and Rod El-Farag police stations to be secured and reviewed, for detainees who might testify to be protected, and for anyone found responsible for the death to be referred for prosecution, whether the responsibility stemmed from intentional acts or negligence.
The initiative also renewed its call to end what it described as a “security campaign” targeting people because of their beliefs or religious views, saying it had documented the arrests of about 60 people since the beginning of last year over atheism, nonbelief, or expressing religious views that differ from mainstream beliefs, adding that others remain in detention, including a group of Shiite Muslims whose whereabouts, it said, remain unknown.
