Young Egyptian commits suicide on Facebook live after 'family dispute'
Young Egyptian commits suicide on Facebook live after 'family dispute'
“I am the slave that they all oppressed, friends and family together. I will leave them to Allah’s will, who will be on my side," said Amro Zaid's suicide note.
2 min read
Suicide rates have sky-rocketed in Egypt in recent years, as economic conditions plummet [Getty]
A young Egyptian man has committed suicide live on Facebook after a “family dispute” involving illicit pictures, inheritance disputes and domestic violence.
The man, known as Amro Zaid, was a resident of Kafr el-Duwar, in El Beheira, in the north of Egypt.
Before he took his own life, Amro Zaid recounted stories of familial strife and turmoil. At one point he addressed one family member, saying: “I’ll be waiting for you in the afterlife, after what you did to me.”
One of his relatives had made false accusations against him, according to the young Egyptian - who said he was choosing suicide to cause his family less trouble.
An uncle had accused him of taking revealing pictures of his wife - something Amro Zaid denied in the live stream, saying “it was not me, it was your nephew.”
When the man’s immediate family saw the live stream, they rushed Amro Zaid to the closest hospital with a poisons unit, but he died before receiving care.
The man’s wife told Egyptian daily newspaper al-Masry al-Youm that his suicide was caused by “familial disputes over inheritance”, alleging that “his uncles were threatening him with violence, and using their influence against him".
“My husband grew up an orphan, and now his children will have to do the same,” she said.
In a handwritten suicide note discovered by the family, Amro Zaid had asked that some family members be “barred from the funeral”.
“I am the slave that they all oppressed, friends and family together. I will leave them to Allah’s will, who will be on my side,” concluded the note.
Suicide rates in Egypt have rocketed in Egypt in recent years, according to the Arab Foundation for Human Rights.
The Egyptian NGO reported between 30 and 35 suicides per month last year - figures higher than anywhere else in the Arab world.
Two thirds of Egyptians live below the poverty line, and rights groups point to dire economic conditions and deepening social divides as the cause for such alarming increases in suicide rates.
More In News
