“Mohamed’s martyrdom assures that the military’s crimes are ongoing, and has become the icon that will motivate a student uprising on the anniversary of the 25 January [Revolution],” a Students Against the Coup (SAC) spokesperson, Mahmoud Al-Azhary said on Friday.
Mohamed Hamed, a third year dentistry student at Al-Azhar University, was shot dead while partaking in an anti-government protest on Wednesday in 10th of Ramadan City.
Al-Azhary said the security forces killed him “with a bullet to his heart”.
Since the beginning of the academic school year on 11 October, over 150 Al-Azhar students have been permanently expelled from the university, while dozens more have been detained.
Students began the initiative Students Against the Coup in July 2013 to oppose the military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. Since then on-campus clashes between the group and security forces have been a frequent occurrence.
Al-Azhary, who knew Hamed personally, stated: “Mohamed was a hero. He was always in the front lines facing the police; he was always the first to get injured. His bravery always surprised me.”
The 2013/2014 academic year witnessed the death of at least 83 students in clashes with security forces and the arrest of at least 900 more at Al-Azhar University, according to SAC.
The Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression, which records security violations against students, documented 16 cases of student deaths due to police shootings on campus in the previous academic year.
Last October, police injured an Alexandria University’s Omar Al-Sharif with birdshots; the student died a few days after the injury.
