A toxicology report into the death of alleged torture victim Sa’ad Said released on Tuesday has ruled out drug overdose as a cause of death.
Said’s family claim he was tortured to death in a police station following his arrest in November last year.
A forensic pathologist working on Said’s case told Ahmed Shawky, Said’s brother-in-law and lawyer for the family, that the report found no traces of drugs or toxins in the body, ruling out drug overdose as a cause of death.
“We can’t confirm the true cause of death until the full medical report is released,” Shawky said. He was told that the medical report won’t be published for another two weeks.
The forensic pathologist told Shawky that the cause of death was a cerebral oedema caused by a blow to the head.
The preliminary forensics report noted bruises and wounds on Said’s body.
Said was arrested in late November following a fight in his neighbourhood in Giza. Said’s family filed a report soon after his death, accusing Major Hisham Abdel Gawwad of torturing Said to death at the Giza police station.
Said has been referred to as a second Khaled Said; the torture victim whose death was considered a catalyst for the January 2011 revolution.
Ahmed Yousry, programme and workshops coordinator at the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre (HMLC), said during President Mohamed Morsy’s first three months in power, 33 people died in police custody.
