What did the Public Prosecution say in the case of Ayman Hadhoud? — Egypt 360

Several questions were raised by the announcement of the mysterious death of researcher and economic expert Ayman Hadhoud. That’s about two months after he was admitted to the Abbassia Psychiatric Hospital. Following his arrest, he was subject to a mental health check, and was accused of attempting to break into someone else’s home. An incident that surprised the legal community. While the biggest question revolved around the fact that his family was not informed of the news of the death until about a month after its actual date (5-3-2022). The Public Prosecution issued a statement detailing some details of the case.

Hoods and the story of the property of Zamalek

came in Public Prosecution’s statement It “She received a report on February 6 from a property guard in the Zamalek neighborhood About Hodhoud storming the property he is guarding, and trying to open one of the apartments in it. While the statement of the prosecution indicated that “Hodhud” was He babbles at the time with incomprehensible words. That was before the guard caught him and called the police who picked him up.

In his statements yesterday to “Egypt 360”, Hossam Bahgat, the former director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, questioned the account of Hodhoud’s arrest in the incident of storming an apartment in Zamalek. He said that if we accept the truth of the incident, the question remains: why was he hidden while he was accused in an ordinary case? Intrusion for theft.

Bahgat added – in his statements – that accusing Ayman Hodhoud of suffering from psychological disorders does not justify this mysterious death days after his arrest. It is surprising that a person under fifty, who did not complain of a physical illness, is placed in detention and then suddenly declared dead, as happened.

He said that there is a criminal suspicion about the causes of death, even if the prosecution did not provide any information or evidence about the arrest process or the causes of death. Otherwise, why was the news of his death hidden for over a month?

Prosecution: It was not possible to interrogate Hudud

The statement also added that the Public Prosecution Office had launched investigations. She tried to interrogate the accused on the same day, regarding the accusation that he was accused of attempted theft. But he could not be questioned for repeating incomprehensible words. She questioned his sanity. She obtained an order from the competent court to place him in a government hospital to prepare a report on his psychological condition.

According to the Public Prosecution’s statement, “Hodhoud” was deposited at the Mental Health Hospital in Abbasiya, to indicate the extent of his responsibility for his actions at the time of the commission of the incident.

Gamal Eid, the executive director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, said in statements yesterday that preceded the statement of the prosecution, that there were many irregularities in the process of arresting and detaining Ayman Hadhoud. He added that some of these violations are attributed to the prosecution and some to the police. Including that if the Public Prosecution had issued an actual decision to transfer him to a mental health hospital, why did it not ask him, according to the constitution, for his right to inform his family or one of his lawyers. So to attend the investigations and see his statements.

The prosecution heard the testimony of the author’s property guard, and stated that he testified that he had arrested the accused after he rushed into the property. He added that when he tried to stop him, he insulted him and went to one of the apartments in the property and proceeded to open it by force. The guard confirmed that “Hudhood” was called after a woman, When the guard tried to deter him with the help of another property guard, he beat them both. He became very agitated, threw himself on the ground and started shouting incomprehensible wordsHe reported it to the police and they arrested him. The guard of the property next door corroborated the same account in the investigations.

While the investigator testified that His investigations did not reveal whether the accused intended to steal or not.

The death occurred on March 5.. Why was his body not handed over to his family at that time?

In its statement, the Public Prosecution Office stated that the death was registered on the 5th of last March. At that time, the Public Prosecution notified the death of the accused in the hospital where he was admitted. Where it was found that the death resulted from a sharp drop in blood circulation and cardiac arrest. The Public Prosecution examined the body, and it was found that it was free of any injuries. The health inspector was also delegated to sign the virtual examination and made sure that there was no criminal suspicion in the death.

Fatima Siraj, a lawyer at the Association for Freedom of Opinion, Expression and Follow-up to the case, had referred to the fact that “Ayman” died on March 5th. He was deposited in the hospital mortuary during this period of time. That was until the family was informed in a phone call from the second department of Nasr City last Saturday evening Confirms his death and the need to go to the mortuary to receive the body.

According to Siraj; During the examination of the body, the hospital refused to give his family any details or information about his death, the date of his deposit, or according to any case or under any prosecution order he was detained. The family refused to receive the body and requested an autopsy. This is a matter to which the Public Prosecution responded with the autopsy decision to indicate the cause of death.

The National Committee for Human Rights: We are closely following the case and demand that investigations be included in all that was raised about enforced disappearance

The National Council for Human Rights, headed by Ambassador Moushira Khattab. Yesterday, he issued a statement confirming that he was “closely following the investigations of the Public Prosecution office regarding the death of Ayman Hadhoud.” The Council called for “the necessity of including the investigations of the Public Prosecution Office for everything that was raised about the claim that Dr. Ayman Hadhoud was subjected to enforced disappearance before his death.”

also added Statement The Council has reviewed the statement of the Ministry of Interior. And that he is awaiting the results of the Public Prosecution’s investigations in light of the autopsy decision. To investigate the reality of the causes that led to the death, and to verify whether it was a criminal suspicion.

She concluded her speech by emphasizing that the council “came according to a democratic mechanism, and enjoys sufficient independence. He has a clear agenda for action to ensure the advancement of the human rights system. The Council attaches great importance to issues related to civil and political rights, public freedoms, and reform of penal systems. She expressed her confidence in the cooperation of all concerned agencies in this regard.

George Isaac: What happened with Hudhud is an enforced disappearance and all the information is distorted

The site has movedfree”, according to a member of the National Council for Human Rights, George Ishaq, that what happened with Hudhoud is “a case of enforced disappearance in every sense of the word.”

Ishaq told Al-Hurra yesterday, “The information is all distorted, and the Ministry of the Interior denied that it had arrested him, and this is an unreasonable statement.” In the brief statement of the Ministry of the Interior, a security source said that “on February 6, a real estate guard in the Zamalek area in Cairo informed that the aforementioned was inside a property and tried to break the door of one of the apartments and did irresponsible behavior.. Legal measures were taken at the time and he was deposited in a psychiatric hospital based on on the decision of the Public Prosecution.

But Ishaq said, “How can a well-known journalist be accused of breaking into an apartment? All talk is unreasonable,” describing this as a “shameful matter” and “completely against human rights.” He added, “What happened with Hodhoud is a serious matter, especially since he is a member of the Supreme Committee of the Reform and Development Party, which was founded by a member of the National Council for Human Rights and former parliamentarian Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat.”

The different narratives of the Hudud brothers

The Public Prosecution statement also stated that police investigations confirmed that there was no criminal suspicion in the death. He added that the Public Prosecution Office, for its part, took the procedures for publishing and photographing the deceased to reach their relatives to hand over the body for burial. Two of his brothers, Adel and Abu Bakr, attended and testified in the investigations that they did not suspect the death of their brother criminally.

as such They explained that the same turbulent behavior of the deceased had previously happened twice beforeThe first, two months ago, when he was found on the main road in the Salam area, doing turbulent actions and talking to himself, so they moved to him and received him from the people who kept him at the time, and the second when he assumed the land in front of the guest rooms of a hotel, so they moved to him and escorted him, and they explained that they had not been able to hospitalize their brother previously. To receive the necessary treatment to repeat his escape.

The prosecution confirmed that it is still completing the investigation procedures into the incident. Omar Hadhoud, Ayman’s brother, was summoned to hear his testimony. This is after the Monitoring Unit in the Al-Bayan Department monitored multiple statements attributed to him on the communication sites, during which he claims the existence of a criminal suspicion. But he did not comply with the decision to attend, according to the statement of the prosecution.

Read also: Ayman Hodhoud’s last days between security and psychiatric hospital

Abbasiya Hospital officials: We suspected him of being infected with Corona

The prosecution stated that it listened to the statements of the director of the forensic psychiatric unit, a doctor and a nurse at the government hospital where he was admitted. They testified that he was suffering from unconsciousness, dizziness, unsteadiness, and a high temperature. They also indicated that he was suspected of being infected with the Corona virusThe medical procedures prescribed for such cases were taken with him. Then he died while being transferred to a government hospital for treatment.

Accordingly, the Public Prosecution commissioned the Forensic Medicine Authority to conduct the autopsy in order to determine the cause and manner of death. Visceral samples from the body were examined to indicate the extent to which they contained traces of narcotic or toxic substances that might have caused his death.

The report of the Tripartite Committee: “Hodhud” was suffering from schizophrenia, and his psychological state could lead to death

The prosecution also heard – according to the statement – the statements of two members of the tripartite committee formed in accordance with the decision of the Public Prosecution to prepare a report examining his psychological and mental condition. They testified that the accused was suffering from schizophrenia, was not converted to time, place and people, was weak in focus and attention, suffered from persecutory delusions and delusions of grandeur, and was speaking incomprehensible words, interspersed with his denial that he had committed the attempted theft under investigation.

The committee added that the deterioration of his psychological condition affects the degree of awareness, and may end in death. They provided a detailed report on his condition.

Ayman Hadhoud

from bad to worse

Human rights lawyer Gamal Eid, executive director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, criticized it. Council statement. He said he was “not criticized or praised”. Eid indicated to “Egypt 360” that the nationalist statement so far is “brief” and does not include a specific position on the council. He added, “So far, they are following the investigations. They did not announce their siding with a party. Maybe we should wait to see where things turn out.”

The human rights defender, Mohamed Zaree, is director of the Egypt Program at the Cairo Center for Human Rights. What happened to the government’s performance in the human rights file. He says, “The situation is getting from bad to worse.” He indicates that what happened to researcher Ayman Hodhoud goes beyond what happened with Khaled Saeed and others. This creates a state of terror about the fate of the forcibly disappeared, he said.

In his statements to “Egypt 360”, Zarei points out that there is a continuous case of extortion against the families of detainees. He says, “At first they are advised to remain silent in the hope that their son will get out quickly or at least see him. Then the silence continues, hoping to reach a courtroom. And even if they learn of his death – as happened with Hodhoud – they may remain silent simply because they want to receive his body without complications.”

Zarei pointed out that the statement of the National Council for Human Rights, which only confirmed the follow-up to the investigations of the Public Prosecution. It should not be issued by a body that is supposed to investigate the human rights situation in Egypt. He adds: The council was supposed to announce the formation of a fact-finding committee to follow up on the matter. Finding a place to manipulate. As for the content of follow-up, it is a matter for journalists covering the events, and not an entity that has the ability to investigate.