In his first night after receiving a death sentence for killing the Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim, real estate mogul Hisham Talaat Mustafa was sad yesterday in the Tora Prison. The night was the worst in his life. He spent it in tears. Mohsen el-Sukary, the second defendant, was also sad. The two men were filled with terror when the Prison Administration gave them the "red suit", the clothes worn by those who received death sentences. Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, sources in the Prison Authority said when Mustafa returned to his cell, he began sobbing uncontrollably, refused to talk, read the Koran for a long time after wearing the red suit, and prayed. He was filled with panic, muttered a few words and said he was satisfied with God's will. El-Sukary was absentminded after wearing the red clothes, especially after he was isolated in another cell, according to the law.
The sources added that Mustafa ate very little food. His colleagues in the cell were filled with grief and tried to mitigate the effect of the sentence. They told him that the sentence was not final and could be changed by the Court of Cassation. They called on him not to give up hope. El-Sukary did not comment on the sentence, read the Koran, and said that God would help him overcome this problem.
Mustafa is expected to be visited by his family today. The family was shocked by the sentence. Hafez Farhoud, Hisham's lawyer, said that the defense waited for the evidence on which the appeal would be based. New lawyers joined the case, because all of us want to achieve "Mustafa's interests".
Shawki el-Sayed, a lawyer, said he is fully convinced that Mustafa is innocent although he was sentenced to death. He added that the evidence does not convict his client.
