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Egypt's 'femicide killing suspect' to get speedy trial

Egypt's 'femicide killing suspect' to get speedy trial
MENA
2 min read
Egypt - Cairo
12 August, 2022
An alleged femicide killer has been referred to a speedy trial before a criminal court over the alleged premeditated murder of his classmate after she rejected his marriage proposals.
Egypt's latest suspected femicide killing has shocked the country [Getty]

The Egyptian prosecutor general ordered the speedy trial of a 20-year-old male student for allegedly killing a female colleague on Tuesday in northern Egypt.

Islam Mohamed has been referred to a criminal court over the pre-meditated murder of Salma Bahgat in Zagazig city in Sharkia, north of the capital Cairo.

She was stabbed at least 10 times, a statement released by the prosecution at a later hour on Thursday read, after she reportedly turned down the accused's repeated wedding proposals.

"The perpetrator, who confessed his crime in detail during interrogation, had earlier threatened the victim and her family had they kept rejecting his marriage proposals," the statement added. The accused has not yet pleaded in court.

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"He managed to know where the victim would be present by manipulating a friend of hers, then he bought a knife from a nearby undertaker that he used to commit his crime," the prosecution said.

Following the autopsy, it took the prosecution 48 hours to refer him to trial after questioning 15 witnesses and finding evidence on the victim's mobile phone, according to the prosecution.

The killing is another in a series of femicides across the Middle East - in countries including Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE - which have sparked calls for enhanced protections for women.

Last month, an Egyptian court sentenced a man who confessed to the horrific killing of university student Naira Ashraf in Mansoura to death by hanging after the quickest trial in Egypt's history.

Statistically, around 7.8 million women undergo a form of gender-based violence annually, whether perpetrated by a spouse/fiancé or individuals in her close circles or from strangers in public places, according to a UN survey released in 2015.