Amnesty International has called on Egypt to launch an immediate probe into the alleged police torture of a man found dead in Alexandria this month in the same area where an alleged police beating took place in June.
Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart says there are “disturbing allegations” surrounding the death of 19-year-old Ahmed Shaaban.
In a Tuesday statement, the international human rights group also urges Egypt to guarantee the safety of a Shaaban acquaintance believed to be in police custody.
Relatives of Shaaban say police arrested him and his friend Ahmed Farrag Labib on charges of stealing a cell phone. They say police beat Shaaban to death and dumped his body in a canal. Egyptian police say the man committed suicide.
The incident took place in the same police precinct where police allegedly pulled a young anti-corruption activist out of a cafe in June and fatally beat him.
Investigators initially said the man died of asphyxia after he attempted to swallow a packet of drugs.
Egyptian officials have complained that human rights groups have been trying to sully the country’s reputation, ahead of November 28 parliamentary elections.
Some information in this story was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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