Egypt court sentences man to death by hanging following horrific femicide of Naira Ashraf

An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced a man who confessed to the horrific killing of university student Naira Ashraf in the northeastern Egyptian city of Mansoura to death by hanging.

Mohamed Adel, who attended the University of Mansoura with Naira, confessed to stabbing her and slitting her throat after she repeatedly turned down his marriage proposals.

The case shocked Egypt and the wider region, bringing the issue of femicide and violence against women to the spotlight once again. A similar murder happened in Jordan shortly afterwards.

Judge Bahaa El-Din Al-Murri of the Mansoura Criminal Court sentenced Adel to death by hanging after receiving a religious opinion from Egypt’s grand mufti regarding his eligibility for execution.

The horrific murder, which took place just outside the University of Mansoura on June 20, was caught on camera. 25 witnesses, including students and security officers from the university testified to seeing it.

Prior to the murder, Adel had threatened Ashraf several times and she and her family had informed the local police and raised several formal complaints. However, the court did not assign any blame to police officers for failing to protect Ashraf or act against Adel.

The court’s sentence is not final and can be appealed within 60 days by Adel and his lawyers. Death sentences automatically go to a court of appeal in Egypt.