A key witness against Ayman Nour, who later retracted his confession in court claiming it was made under duress, was found dead in his prison cell, reports Karim El-Khashab Ayman Ismail, a key witness in the case against Ayman Nour, died in his prison cell last week. Police sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that Ismail, who was serving a four- year prison sentence, was found hanging by his bed sheets. Ismail, who was convicted along with Nour for forging the signatures necessary to license the Ghad Party, had been a key witness in the case against Nour when the trial opened. During the course of the proceedings, though, Ismail changed his position, telling the court that his earlier confession had been exacted under duress. "They pressured me and threatened my family," he shouted at the presiding judge. The judge, however, ruled that the confession could not be retracted. Hassan Abdel-Fatah, a Ghad Party member and friend of Ismail, told the Weekly that Ismail's condition had deteriorated rapidly in prison where he was held alongside violent criminals. However, he dismisses claims that Ismail committed suicide. "It was not in his nature to give up. Even when he was being harassed he was still determined to reopen the investigation." Lawyer Amir Salem, who represents Nour, says Ismail was a key witness in new moves to overturn Nour's conviction. Nour's defence team, he said, was in the middle of collating new evidence that would discredit the prosecution's case against Nour and that Ismail was central to their efforts. "The whole idea of Ismail committing suicide is very hard to believe, especially given the circumstances at the prison," said Salem, who points out that the coroner's report did not mention foaming at the mouth, which would be expected in a case of death by hanging. Salem also questioned whether the window, from the bars of which Ismail is supposed to have hung himself, was high enough to make such a scenario feasible. He added that he will be asking for a full investigation into the incident, including a list of everyone who entered Ismail's cell the night of his death. In a press release issued from his own cell, Nour laid the blame for Ismail's death squarely at the feet of prison officials and members of the regime. Nour's statement alleges that he had been visited by the same doctor who had labelled Ismail as mentally ill and prone to suicide, and that the doctor had reached the same erroneous conclusion about Nour. He also revealed he had been in contact with Ismail last month when they presented new evidence to state security officials regarding his case and after which the campaign of intimidation against both men escalated. "We presented evidence to state security officers on 21 August," Nour wrote, "and almost immediately after Ismail was attacked in prison by hired thugs." Ismail's death, Nour accuses, is ultimately the responsibility of the prosecutor-general who failed to protect him. Nour, who suffers from diabetes and a heart condition, recently petitioned for early release on health grounds. The court hearing his appeal refused the petition and ordered that he complete his five year sentence. Until the sudden death of Ismail, Nour's case seemed to have gone cold with many commentators convinced the former Ghad Party leader and presidential candidate was destined to serve out his prison term. Now Nour finds himself again in the spotlight. Gamila Ismail, Nour's wife, says the death of Ismail is a blow to her husband's case and a sign of the continued persecution of her husband and his party. But she insists her resolve to see her husband free is as strong as ever and she remains convinced that Nour's name will be cleared.
