Death of young Wael Youssef Khairy Bishara (Kyrillos) due to torture while in custody at Al-Ahram Police Station – Egypt

The death of young Wael Youssef Khairy Bishara (Kyrillos) due to torture while in custody at the Al-Ahram Police Station – Egypt

The Al-Shehab Human Rights Center expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation regarding the death of the Egyptian young man Wael Youssef Khairy Bishara, known as "Kyrillos," who was 20 years old, from Minya Governorate – Maghagha Center – Deir Al-Garnous village, on August 13, 2025, following his detention at the Al-Ahram Police Station in Giza Governorate, under circumstances that clearly indicate he was subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

According to the information received:

• On August 7, 2025, the victim was arrested in the Al-Ahram Gardens area while returning from Cairo with his family and was taken to the police station despite his physical disability and reliance on a crutch due to a previous injury.

• He was falsely accused of fraud, despite the existence of video evidence that refutes the charges.

• The prosecution issued a decision to detain him for 4 days pending investigation, but the police station did not present him at the scheduled times and sent reports twice stating "unable to present the accused" without justification.

• On August 12, the victim's father received a phone call from an individual – whose number is documented in the investigations – requesting money to be transferred via "Vodafone Cash" to allow his son to receive food, water, or rest, and amounts of money were indeed transferred.

• On August 13, Wael Youssef was brought out of the police station dead and was taken to the hospital, which announced his death without a clear medical report or an independent autopsy, despite the presence of signs indicating he had been tortured.

Flagrant violation of international treaties

This incident represents a blatant violation of several provisions of international law, including:

• Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the right to life).

• Article 7 of the Covenant and Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture (prohibition of torture).

• Article 9 of the Covenant (prohibition of arbitrary detention).

• Article 12 of the Convention Against Torture (obligation of the state to conduct a fair investigation into all allegations of torture).

Urgent human rights demands

The Al-Shehab Center demands:

• An independent international investigation into the death of Wael Youssef Khairy Bishara.

• Accountability for those directly and indirectly responsible for the torture and death.

• Ensuring the safety of the victim's family and witnesses from any retaliation.

• Referring the case to the relevant UN special rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, torture, and arbitrary detention.