Egypt requests report of UK parliament on Mariam’s death

CAIRO – 18 March 2018: The Egyptian-British Parliamentary Friendship association, headed by Dalia Youssef, issued a statement on Sunday revealing that they are following up with the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on the murder case of 18-year-old student Mariam Moustafa.

Youssef, a member of the Egyptian Parliament Foreign Relations Committee, affirmed that members of the association are closely following up the case until justice is being served. Moreover, the association offered condolences to the family of the victim.

According to the statement, the assassination demanded a detailed report of the case investigations from the British authorities.

They affirmed that the British Foreign Affairs Minister Boris Johnson’s letter of condolence and his pledge to bring the accused to trial assured that the message of anger of the Egyptian parliament was delivered clearly to the British side.

A state of anger also waved across the Egyptian Parliament following the murder of 18-year-old student Moustafa.

Sharif al-Wardani, the parliamentary committee's secretary, said that Moustafa did not die because of the the girls’ beatings. The medical negligence that Moustafa faced in the British hospital was the main reason behind her death and this raises many questions on the case.

Egyptians abroad face human rights violations which require taking swift actions and responses, Wardani said, adding that the Egyptian government stands behind its citizens and protects their rights at home and abroad.

He stressed the importance of taking quick measures and sending a committee of the parliament to find out how the investigations proceed. He pointed out that the perpetrators should be held accountable, especially after the girls were released.

On another note, MP Tarek al-Khouly, a member of the parliament’s International Relations Committee, issued an urgent statement regarding Mariam’s death to the ministries of interior and justice.

Khouly demanded that the British authorities provide a copy of all the investigations, as well as all the procedures that were taken.

For his part, Parliamentarian Alaa Abed, head of the Human Rights Committee in parliament, announced that the committee will be sending an envoy to follow-up on the developments of the death investigations.

MP Ismail Nasr ad-Din also demanded that the Foreign Ministry open an urgent investigation into the incident until justice is served. He also demanded the summoning of the British ambassador to Cairo to inform him of Egyptians’ infuriation.

The lawyer of Egyptian student Moustafa said that he assigned a specialized doctor from the Egyptian Embassy to prepare a report on the case, in addition to the forensic report which was prepared by the British police.

Moreover, he said that the Egyptian Embassy in London will handle the process of unloading the camera records that the British police insisted were inoperative at the time of the accident.

In late February, Moustafa, an 18-year-old engineering student based in Nottingham, UK, was brutally beaten by 10 British women of African descent. The incident stirred condemnation of both the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the British Embassy in Cairo.

Investigations into the horrific assault continue to ensure justice is served. We are in contact with @NottsPolice & the Egyptian Embassy to make sure her family has the support they need.

— UK in Egypt (@UKinEgypt) March 14, 2018

Previously, Moustafa’s mother posted a video on social media, saying her daughter is in a critical condition after being beaten by the 10 girls. She claimed that the assault was race-motivated, as her daughter does not actually know those girls at all and never talked to them before.

“Four months ago, two of the same ten girls abused my daughter in the street for no specific reason. We went to the police station and issued an official complaint; however, nothing happened,” the grieving mother said in the video.

She added that when the 10 girls saw her in the street walking alone, they attacked her once again and dragged her about twenty meters in the street. “She managed to get up and run towards one of the buses, but they went after her and started to beat her again. Just one man tried to defend her, but no one else tried to interfere,” the mother said.