The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has reported the death of detainee Wael Youssef Khairy, known as Kyrillos (21 years old), inside Al-Ahram Police Station in Giza Governorate on 13 August 2025, following a violent fight inside the holding cell in which he was one of the parties.
According to Kyrillos’ family lawyer, the Al-Ahram Prosecutor’s Office has assigned the Forensic Medicine Authority to perform an autopsy as part of ongoing investigations with five other detainees accused of causing his death.
The family confirmed that visible wounds and bruises appeared on Kyrillos’ body. The prosecution has requested a forensic report specifying the cause, manner, and time of death; the nature and timing of the injuries; the tools used to inflict them; and whether they directly caused the death.
During investigations, the family informed prosecutors that the accused detainees had previously contacted them by phone from inside the detention facility, demanding money transfers through “Vodafone Cash” in exchange for treating Kyrillos well. The family’s lawyer added: “We have the phone numbers used to call us from inside detention, and receipts proving the money transfers.”
Kyrillos’ family held the Al-Ahram Police Station administration responsible, accusing it of negligence in protecting detainees.
CFJ condemns the incident and the failures of the police station administration, calls for a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the death, accountability for all responsible parties, and an end to impunity for such violations.
According to CFJ, this case raises the number of deaths in custody documented in Egypt since the beginning of 2025 to 33, after recording 50 deaths during 2024.
Accurate information about death cases during detention in Egypt can be obtained through the Justice Watch Archive service provided by CFJ, which contains information about more than 14,000 victims and over 30,000 violations. It also monitors violations inside more than 500 places of detention in Egypt.
