The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the investigation into the death of Egyptian researcher Reem Hamed, who died in France on Thursday, August 22.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry expressed deep sorrow over Hamed’s death and requested the French authorities to provide details as soon as possible.
The Egyptian Consulate General in Paris immediately contacted French authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding Hamed’s passing after receiving news of her death.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, upon learning of the incident, instructed the Consulate General in Paris to closely monitor the investigation process and to obtain a report from French authorities on the cause of death. He also directed the Consulate to expedite the necessary procedures for obtaining a death certificate and transporting Hamed’s remains to Egypt upon completion of the investigation.
Hamed’s death has sparked controversy on social media, particularly after several alleged Facebook posts attributed to the researcher went viral.
The posts, which suggested that she was being followed and threatened, have raised concerns about the circumstances of her death.
The Egyptian Consulate in Paris is closely monitoring the situation following the spread of these supposed Facebook posts attributed to Hamed, which have been widely shared on social media.
The alleged posts detail how she was being watched by unknown persons and that her devices were being monitored. They also mention threats regarding her research.
While the posts do not appear on Hamed’s actual Facebook profile, it is claimed to have been deleted from her personal social media account.
In the alleged posts, Hamed claimed that she was being monitored, both by individuals and through surveillance of her devices. She also said she was being threatened about her research without providing further details.
The alleged posts also revealed that Hamed had been the victim of an attempted assassination and surveillance by her neighbour, who sprayed a narcotic substance on her apartment door, causing her to experience increased heart rate and shortness of breath.
Hamed was an Egyptian PhD researcher who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture with a minor in biotechnology from Cairo University in 2017. She subsequently earned a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Paris-Saclay University and moved to France to work as a resident researcher at the Paris-Saclay University.
