Minya--The bishop of Minya's Dayr Mawas monastery managed to end a sit-in by Coptic activists in front of a local church to protest the disappearance of the wife of pastor Tedaous Samaan, who believes she was kidnapped. Bishop Aghapious urged protesters not to assemble or stage demonstrations and to allow the authorities a chance to conduct a formal investigation. Samaan said his wife, 25-year-old teacher Kamilia Shehata Zakher, had left her home Sunday night on her way to her father's home and had never reappeared. He noted that his wife had called to inform him that she was going to visit her parents, while he was preparing to conduct a marriage ceremony in a neighboring village. When Samaan later phoned his wife on her mobile phone, she did not answer. Contacting her father at home, the latter told Samaan that she had never arrived. Samaan denied having had any disagreements with his wife, saying she had most probably been kidnapped. He refrained, however, from making any formal accusations. Prosecutors have since ordered an investigation into the case, distributing leaflets to security directorates throughout the provinces. Preliminary investigations revealed that Kamilia had asked to take a vacation from work. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
