Doctors Syndicate condemns police killing of physician in Fayoum

The Doctors Syndicate in Fayoum condemned the killing of a physician by police forces outside his clinic on Saturday.

A large funeral procession was held on Sunday for the deceased doctor, who police claim was a member of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. An arrest warrant had been issued by the district prosecutor for his arrest, accusing him of involvement in criminal activity, although no further details were given as to what this allegedly entailed. 

The syndicate branch released a statement denouncing the tactics used by police to arrest the 30-year-old physician Mohamed Ahmed Awad, who was killed on Saturday afternoon as he was returning to his gynaecology and obstetrics clinic in the Fayoum district of Manshiyet Abdallah. 

The syndicate council in Fayoum convened for an emergency session on Sunday to discuss Awad’s death, during which they condemned “the use of excessive force resulting in death, even if the suspect was guilty.

The syndicate called on authorities to conduct an immediate legal investigation and refer those responsible for Awad’s death to trial for their use of excessive and fatal force.

The branch syndicate offered condolences to Awad’s family, adding that their lawyer would be directly involved in investigating the case.

The privately owned Al-Fagr news portal reported on Sunday that “thousands of mourners” participated in the funerary procession for Awad. Al-Fagr posted photos of mourners winding their way through the streets of Manshiyet Abdallah, chanting for accountability and the trial of those responsible for the young doctor’s death.

Since the Muslim Brotherhood was officially outlawed and classified as a terrorist organization on December 25, 2013, police forces have rounded up thousands of alleged Brotherhood members and referred them to trial.

Several physicians who are said to be members of the Brotherhood, which had historically maintained a strong presence within Egypt’s medical syndicates, have been arrested on a wide array of criminal charges.

The syndicate issued another statement to the governor of Fayoum, requesting that he deal with local police and ascertain the reason for the arrest and killing of Awad.

Dr. Waleed Nasr, a council member in Fayoum Doctors Syndicate reported that Awad may have been shot in the chest at close range by police forces who were deployed to arrest him, which he claimed is unlawful even if the doctor resisted his arrest. 

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