Clashes erupt after detainee dies in Rod al-Farag police station

Clashes erupted Sunday evening between security and residents in Rod al-Farag district after a detainee died in police custody.

According to news reports, dozens of residents gathered in front of the police station and security forces responded with tear gas.

Detainee Sayed Eid al-Tohamy (known as Sayed Zeleikha), who according to Al-Watan was arrested for the possession of narcotics, died while in police custody. Eyewitnesses allege he was beaten to death.

Cairo Director of Security Khaled Youssef was notified of the incident and the general prosecution is currently investigating the cause of death, according to privately owned Al-Tahrir newspaper.

The head of Rod al-Farag police station told privately owned Al-Watan newspaper that the death occurred this morning and the detainee was diabetic and went into a coma.

Tohamy's acquaintances told Mada Masr that he was beaten by security personnel, after which he went into a coma and passed away before he reached the hospital.

Eyewitnesses stated that a number of the deceased's family members organized a protest in front of the police station and the families of other detainees joined and attempted to check on their incarcerated relatives. 

In a report issued earlier this month, the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture documented 100 deaths in Egyptian Prisons during 2014.

Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa director Sarah Leah Whitson said in a report issued in January, “The Egyptian authorities have appeared shockingly complacent in the face of so many detainee deaths ... They need to ensure that all such deaths, as well as abuse allegations, are independently investigated, and rapidly put in place and enforce effective safeguards to protect everyone in state custody."