Rights groups urge Egypt to investigate ex-detainee’s 'suspicious' death in Alexandria

Two human rights groups called on the Egyptian authorities to investigate the sudden, suspicious death of a former detainee in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria over the weekend.

"Ahmed Abdullah Younis died shortly after he reportedly left the building of the local branch of the state security police in the Al-Agamy region, west of Alexandria, where he may have been allegedly subjected to physical or psychological violations," the Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR) said in a statement on Sunday evening.

According to the group, Younis, who was detained several times before, was compelled to spend unofficial, mandatory routine check-ins inside the state security building in the Al-Beetash area, the last of which was reportedly on 12 October where he stayed until almost 1 A.M. the following day.

After he had a phone call with his mother, Younis collapsed outside the building and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he passed away. His last words at the hospital were reportedly about how he had a numb feeling in his head.

"The hospital officially informed the local prosecution office, which opened an investigation. The forensic opinion concluded that he died of poor circulation, the usual format," El-Shehab Centre for Human Rights argued in another statement, also released on Sunday, adding that Younis was buried at 5 P.M. local time [3 P.M. GMT].

It remains unclear whether an autopsy was conducted on his body to refute a possible foul play.

No official comment has yet been made about his death until the time of publication. Neither the reasons behind his previous detentions were made clear.

Both rights groups accused the Egyptian prosecutor-general and interior ministry of overlooking alleged violations committed inside detention centres reportedly run "in an unofficial capacity" by state security police across the country.

Human Rights advocates have long argued that systematic police brutality in Egypt has allegedly been part of the culture of the country's security apparatus.

Local and international rights groups documented over the past months, dozens of cases reportedly died inside detention centres and prisons in Egypt, allegedly amid the lack of official accountability.

The rights group also warned that prison conditions had deteriorated across the country, with high temperatures and overcrowding common, with some detention centres three times over capacity.

Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, has a history of alleged police violations. Last month, a local prosecutor in Sidi Gaber neighbourhood opened an investigation into the alleged torture and sexual abuse of a 24-year-old man held in police custody.

But perhaps the torture of Khaled Said by two low-ranking police officers back in 2010 in the city was one of the major driving forces behind the 25 January Revolution that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

However, almost 13 years on, the status quo of human rights in the Arab World's most populous country remains in the hands of the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with a track record so far of overlooking the worst human rights violations and civil rights and media restrictions in Egypt's modern history.