General Prosecution ordered on Monday the detention of two policemen for four days on a background of accusations of torturing a young man to death while he was in custody based on suspicions of possessing narcotics. Mohamed Abdel Hakim, known as Afroto, was reported to have died in the Moqatam police station on 5 January. The two policemen held preemptively accountable in the case —the assistant to the director of the investigation bureau in the police station and a lower ranking police officer— are facing charges of assaulting Afroto, injuring him, and possibly leading to his death. Hours after the incident took place, several pro-state newspapers reported that he died due to a drug overdose and cited security officials who denied that he was assaulted. A report by the Forensic Medicine Department said that he was beaten and had signs of torture on his body. Hours after the news was reported, dozens of civilians, his friends, and family, gathered around the police station to protest his killing, claiming he was killed. 43 of them were arrested and are facing accusations of attempting to break into the police station and setting police cars on fire.
