(Photo from Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh Tribute Facebook Page )
Forensic Authority spokesman Hisham AbdelHamid was removed from his position on Tuesday, state media reported.
Mahmoud Ali, the current head of the Forensic Authority, said in a statement published online that it is forbidden for any “doctors, employees, and experts in the Forensic Authority to release any statements or technical information, or share any investigation results with the media”.
Local media reports had quoted AbdelHamid as saying that Socialist activist Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh, who was killed by birdshot bullets, had died due to her being “too thin”. The comments were widely criticised by activists and social media users.
The Ministry of Justice announced Monday that AbdelHamid was being interrogated after giving a TV interview Saturday on the privately owned channel Sada Al-Balad. The ministry added that “necessary measures” will be taken based upon the results of the investigations.
During the interview AbdelHamid said that, “according to science, Al-Sabbagh shouldn’t have died, as it is impossible for the small birdshots on Al-Sabbagh’s back to kill anyone, it’s a rare case”.
In the same interview, he also argued that doctors affiliated with the now banned Muslim Brotherhood group were present inside the Forensic Authority department.
Al-Sabbagh was shot dead in January during a peaceful protest organised by the Socialist Popular Alliance Party (SPAP), ahead of the 25 January Revolution’s fourth anniversary to commemorate the revolution’s martyrs.
