Belqas protestors clash with police after torture kills detainee, lawyer says

Following 21-year-old Ayman Sabry’s death in police custody, footage published on social media showed clashes taking place on Sunday night between residents and police forces outside the Belqas courthouse in Daqahlia Governorate, as crowds gathered to protest Sabry’s death.

Ibrahim Morsy, Sabry’s lawyer, told Mada Masr that his client "was subjected to torture," which he said led to his death on Saturday.

Sabry, who had no criminal record, was arrested on July 19 on charges of drug use and possession of a bladed weapon, according to Morsy. He was held in Room 6 at the Belqas police station throughout the course of his detention.

Sabry was only brought before a prosecutor on July 21, who issued a four-day detention order that was later extended by an additional 15 days.

His family had telegrammed the public prosecutor seeking documentation of the two-day delay in his presentation to investigating authorities, the lawyer said.

The investigation file has been transferred from the Belqas prosecution to the felonies prosecution in Mansoura. There, Morsy said, the prosecution ordered a post-mortem on Sabry’s body on Sunday morning and documented signs of torture with photographs, which have been included in the case file.

Following Sunday night’s clashes, the Interior Ministry issued a statement denying that a defendant had died inside the Belqas station. It stated that the individual in question had been held pending investigation on charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession, and claimed he died after “suddenly falling ill” on July 26. According to the ministry, Sabry was then transferred to a hospital, where it said he later died. It denied any suspicion of criminal offence behind the defendant’s death.