CAIRO: An Egyptian citizen was shot and killed on February 10 in Saudi Arabia by a local citizen. Ashraf Hamed was shot in the head by a Saudi citizen and two other Egyptians were wounded in the incident, the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower reported late last week. The murder comes as Egyptian workers continue to complain of poor conditions and worsening treatment at the hands of their Gulf overlords. The ministry has said it has raised the issue to the Saudi government, demanding an investigation and explanation into the incident. Hofar al-Baten said he did not intend to kill the Egyptian man and wound two others when he opened fire and shot them by mistake. All three victims are brothers from the village of Sheikh Marzouq in the southern Sohag governorate. Hamed's brothers Rajab and Hamid were shot in the shoulder by Baten, said the family's cousin Ali Mahmoud. Rajab said that they did not know the Saudi citizen personally and “do not know the reasons why he shot us.” The family of the victims told local Egyptian newspapers that the Egyptian Minister of Manpower and Immigration Aisha Abdel-Hady immediately contacted the Egyptian Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, to follow up on the investigations. She said the ministry pledged support for the family and promised better treatment for the two injured victims. The Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad Mohamed Abdel-Hakam said last Thursday that the Egyptian consulate in Riyadh is currently “pursuing the investigations conducted by the Saudi authorities with the Saudi national suspected of shooting three Egyptians.” He pointed out that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Aboul Gheit had issued orders to the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia to follow up on this issue and “make sure that the accused is brought to justice.” Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been icy in recent years after an Egyptian doctor who treated a Saudi Princess was accused of being responsible for her medicine addiction and was lashed for his alleged violation of ethics. Workers in Egypt have protested a number of times in front of the Saudi embassy in Cairo, demanding their rights be upheld in the country and discrimination ends. BM
