The Muslim Brotherhood accused the Egyptian security forces Sunday of “assassinating” Mohamed Awad, a gynecologist in Fayoum as he was leaving his private clinic Saturday night.
Awad’s funeral was held Sunday morning in Fayoum, with hundreds of participants gathering for the prayer and chanting denouncements of the government.
Head of the Fayoum Security Director Salah Al-Abd confirmed the incident and that Awad was killed while being arrested by the police.
The Ministry of Interior accused Awad of participating in the Muslim Brotherhood lead anti-government protests and for calling others to attend demonstrations to take place on the fifth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution.
The ministry justified the arrest by saying that Awad was wanted by the State Security Prosecution on charges of inciting violence and for being a member in the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Awad was ambushed by four policemen from the Investigation Bureau and the National Security as he was entering his clinic, according to Al-Abd. Awad was detained and escorted to the police van. He then attempted to escape at which point he was pursued by security forces and shot dead.
“The brutal military regime continues its crimes against the younger people of this country without discrimination. The incident of Awad is not the first and will not be the last as long as the police and the army are acting in this violent way,” the Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson said in Sunday’s statement.
The death of Awad sparked a wave of anger among different circles, with Islamist activists launching an online campaign featuring the hashtag “They killed the doctor”, referring to Awad’s profession.
Social media users shared pictures of Awad carrying injured protesters who were allegedly shot by police forces during the protests in Fayoum. They also mourned Awad by condemning the statements of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who vowed Saturday that 2016 would be a year for the youth.
“The oppressive Ministry of Interior has gone crazy and are continuing to kill the youth of the nation in a litany of crimes ahead of the anniversary of the revolution,” prominent Brotherhood figure Talaat Fahmy said. He called the incident an act of extrajudicial killing.
Two similar incidents occurred in the past two days. The first took place in Sharqeya where three students were killed while resisting arrest, according to the Ministry of Interior’s disclosure. The ministry accused them of attempting to assassinate head of Zagazig University in December. However, the families and relatives of the students were arrested and detained before the Egyptian security argued that they were shot and killed while being detained.
The other incident occurred in Hurghada, where student Mohamed Shika was reported to have participated in the attack on the Bella Vista Resort on Friday night. In the Ministry of Interior’s announcement, Shika was reported to have been killed in the pursuit following the attack on the resort. Contrary to the state-sanctioned disclosure, Shika’s family said their son had been a victim of enforced disappearance several days before the attack.
Last year, there were 267 cases of extrajudicial killing by Egyptian security forces, according to a report by the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR).
“In 2015, Egyptian authorities continued on their bloody path with developing methods of oppression and repression, expanding it to include a wider sector of Egyptians,” their statement read.
However the Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied the practice of “forced disappearance” and argued that “all arrested members are referred to prosecution”.
