Egypt
Death penalty after brutal murder of a woman: court wants to broadcast execution live on television
His act shocked the whole of Egypt: Mohamad A. killed the student Naira Ashraf with 19 knife wounds
A man has been sentenced to death in Egypt for brutally murdering a student. The court is working to ensure that the execution is broadcast live as a deterrent.
In June, Egyptian Mohamed A. murdered 21-year-old student Naira A. In broad daylight he killed her with a knife. The young woman had previously rejected a marriage proposal from A. The brutal act and the ensuing trial caused a stir in Egypt and beyond.
Mohamad A. confessed to the crime in court and was sentenced to death for premeditated murder. The judges are demanding that his execution be broadcast live – as a deterrent. The conviction alone is not enough, according to a letter from the court to the Egyptian parliament.
A change in the law is needed to broadcast the execution live. Recently, a video had appeared on social networks that was apparently supposed to show the student’s murder.
Debate on violence against women in Egypt
Mohamed A. was a fellow student of the victim. After Naira A. rejected his advances, he stalked her. According to media reports, Naira A. had contacted the police because A. had threatened to harm her.
Messages were found on her phone in which the later perpetrator wrote that he would “cut her throat”.
The case triggered a major discussion about violence against women in Egypt: According to the United Nations, around eight million Egyptian women reported in 2015 that they had experienced violence in public spaces from partners, acquaintances or strangers. The death sentence against A. was celebrated by activists in front of the court.
According to Amnesty International, Egypt is the country with the third highest number of executions in the past year. At least 83 death sentences were carried out in 2021. Only Iran and China carried out more executions that year.
Sources: “Egypt Independent” / Amnesty International