(Photo by Adham Youssef)
A man named Al-Sayed Al-Rassad died Sunday night inside a Central Security Forces (CSF) Camp in Banha after allegedly being tortured, four days after his forced disappearance, said lawyer Raouf Eissa.
Eissa, who follows up with cases of political detainees in the governorate of Qaliubiya, said that Al-Rassad’s family received their relative’s body from the Banha Public Hospital.
The alleged camp is run by the CSF, a paramilitary branch of the Egyptian police that is usually responsible for protests, riots, and embassy security.
Requests for the interior ministry to comment or to give more information about the incident were declined.
Eissa said that Al-Rassad was “kidnapped” last Tuesday, along with his brother and 15 others, and taken to the CSF camp.
He added that upon finding out about the death of their fellow inmate, other prisoners started to chant against the police.
The deceased, a 46-year-old hospital worker, is survived by six children, the Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms said.
After receiving the body, the family held the funeral which was attended by hundreds. The participators took up the usual chants repeated in Islamist and anti-government protests.
The Freedom and Justice Party released a video of the funeral which shows protesters carrying the coffin and describing the deceased as a “martyr”.
It is not clear yet whether Al-Rassad is a Muslim Brotherhood member or affiliate. His disappearance comes as more cases of individuals believed abducted by security forces over the past two weeks are emerging.
In some cases, activists always assert the fact that many detainees are transferred first to security camps to confess alleged crimes, before being referred to the general prosecution.
Since the beginning of the year, several incidents of prisoners dying in police custody have been reported.
Currently the Cairo Criminal Court is looking into a trial of two Homeland Security officers accused of torturing a lawyer, Kareem Hamdy, to death.
