The family of Karim Mohamed, a 24‑year‑old tuk‑tuk driver who died in custody at El‑Salam Second Police Station in Cairo, has accused officers of torturing him to death. The station’s investigations chief rejected the claim, insisting Mohamed was attacked by another detainee who has been remanded for four days pending inquiry
A relative of Karim Mohamed said he was arrested about 12 days ago after a late‑night altercation with a woman he had offered to drive, with her daughters, free of charge in his tuk‑tuk. The relative, who asked not to be named, told Al Manassa the dispute escalated when several people assaulted Karim before he was taken to El‑Salam Second Police Station, where he was charged with sexual harassment.
According to the relative, the family repeatedly tried to contact Karim during his detention but was told each time that he was “not at the station.”
He added that Karim later managed to call his family from detention, begging them to save him. The relative also said another detainee also phoned the family to tell them that police personnel were taking Karim out of his cell at night and returning him after assaulting him.
The family learned on Wednesday morning that Karim had been transferred to El-Salam Hospital. They rushed there, only to discover that he had died the previous evening. The Public Prosecution ordered the body held and referred it to the Forensic Medicine Authority pending an autopsy report.
The relative said the family filed a police report accusing officers and personnel at the station, as well as the father and uncle of the woman involved in the altercation, of responsibility for what Karim had been subjected to.
El-Salam Second Police Station investigations chief Lt. Col. Saad Mohamed denied the allegations that Karim had been tortured by police officers or personnel at the station. He told Al Manassa that Karim had been detained pending investigation in a sexual harassment case and had arrived at the station already injured after being assaulted by several people before his arrest.
He said Karim remained in custody under an order from the Public Prosecution and was later assaulted by another detainee inside the holding cell. According to Mohamed, the incident was documented by video footage, an official report, and police investigations, and prosecutors ordered the alleged assailant held for four days pending investigation.
The investigations chief said Karim was transferred to hospital after the assault, where he remained under treatment until his death. He said the forensic report would determine the cause of death and whether it was linked to the assault in the holding cell or another cause. He added that “all legal procedures have been taken regarding the incident.”
The UN Committee Against Torture, in its 2023 concluding observations, said torture in Egypt was practiced on a “systematic and widespread” basis. The committee’s report called for “the closure of all unofficial places of detention,” the explicit criminalization of enforced disappearance, and investigations into all such cases.
In recent months, the government has faced criticism over deteriorating prison conditions and allegations of torture in some prisons. In its 18th annual report, issued last December, the National Council for Human Rights highlighted the phenomenon of detainees dying in police facilities, citing the death of Mahmoud Mika at Khalifa Police Station in March 2025.
The government, meanwhile, says conditions in Egyptian prisons have improved so significantly that some inmates at rehabilitation centers have refused to leave after completing their sentences. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the claim during a December meeting of the Senate’s Human Rights and Social Solidarity Committee, which discussed developments in Egypt’s human rights file.
