Universities have recently been at the centre of demonstrations. While Muslim Brotherhood students have been protesting against the toppling of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, other student groups have recently escalated demonstrations against the detention and killing of their colleagues as well as the newly-endorsed protest law. The new controversial law was widely opposed as restricting freedoms and lending the police an iron fist. Reacting to the killing of Mohamed Reda, a student at Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering, thousands of students marched from Cairo University to Tahrir Square, chanting slogans against police. On 1 December, the university set a three-day mourning period for the killing of Reda without suspending study. Reda, who took part in anti-regime protests at Cairo University on 28 November, was shot with three birdshot bullets, one in the head, the second penetrated his chest while the third went through his pelvis. The student's death has fueled defiance across the country's campuses at Cairo, Alexandria and Al-Azhar universities which since July have been experiencing their most violent period after the 25 January Revolution. During their protests, police forces attacked demonstrators to disperse them, firing tear gas. The general prosecution told the media on 2 December that Reda was killed by guns carried by protesters. A statement released by the prosecution said the type of bullet found in his body did not match with that used by police forces. Ministry of Interior spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif said police only used tear gas “as is evident in all videos. There is an ongoing investigation since Reda was shot to find the perpetrators of this crime.” Police officials denied using live ammunition against students, saying they used only water cannons and tear gas to disperse angry university students. The students, who were eyewitnesses to the incident, doubted the authenticity of the report, issued by the Justice Minsitry's Forensic Medicine Department and handed to the general prosecution, clearing the police of killing Reda. Just one day following the report, Reda's mother headed to the office of the prosecutor-general accusing the police of killing her son. Al-Azhar University students have been protesting since the beginning of the academic year demanding the reinstatement of Morsi, the dismissal of the university's president and the release of their detained colleagues. Experts along with NGOs including the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) have condemned violence against university students. Ali Leila, professor of sociology at Ain Shams University, believes that clashes between university students and thugs from outside the university are not surprising. “Society is suffering a state of laxity and looseness. A university is a small community which reflects the outside society. This is expected because it is part and parcel of the outside community,” said Leila. Violence at universities has not only identified a moral and cultural defect, but also a serious security problem as well. Although university administrations plan to implement a comprehensive security system, recruiting professional guards as well as installing electronic gates, “resorting to violence is not expected to terminate campus clashes and instability,” said Leila. A joint statement issued by the AFTE and EIPR condemned violent police practices against university students. “The escalation carried out by security forces last Thursday is considered a blatant violation of all international conventions,” the statement said, emphasising that police violence on university campuses, including Cairo University and Al-Azhar University, was not in accordance with the independence of such academic institutions. The statement pointed out, “The situation is now more serious and has exceeded the threat of universities' independence to the threat of students' lives themselves. It is the university's administration primary responsibility to protect the lives of its students as well as the independence of their campuses.” The National Council for Human Rights issued a report regarding the recent violence in universities, underlining the “weak handling” of the students, thus leading to clashes which resulted in the siege of the university's administration building, where students prevented staff from leaving. “Police were found to have used excessive force and verbal abuse against the protesters,” the report said. Minister of Higher Education Hossam Eissa told the media there are exaggerations in reporting developments taking place on university campuses. Eissa said violent acts “are happening inside some universities but not all of them, as some newspapers reported, where the educational process is going on normally. There are a few shortcomings in the universities due to the lack of interaction between students and professors,” said Eissa. Representatives of six university student unions, as well as student representatives of eight political parties and movements, held a press conference on 30 November where they demanded the dismissal of Eissa and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim. In the conference at the Egyptian Popular Current office in Cairo, the students held the minister of higher education politically responsible for violations and violence in universities. They also held the interior minister responsible for the death of students who they said were peacefully protesting. The students also demanded that all their detained colleagues be released.
