EgyptFeatures/Interviews

Families of stadium massacre victims: We know the killer

“God wanted my son to go to the match to die there. Only God is able to avenge him,” says Emad al-Sayyed, father of Abdel Rahman, one of the 20 people killed outside a Cairo stadium last month.

On Sunday, the prosecution referred 16 Muslim Brotherhood members and White Knights Ultras to trial over their involvement in the riots outside the Air Defense Stadium, during a match between Zamalek and ENPPI.

Sayyed adds that he learned about the prosecutor’s decision from the TV, saying that he is not going to take any action against it. According to him, the prosecution has ignored the role of the police in the massacre, while medical reports indicated that the victims had died from asphyxia and injuries sustained in the stampede.

 

Meanwhile, Ahmed, Abdel Rahman's brother, says: “Why would we hire a lawyer? He will do nothing.” He does not believe it is possible to prosecute anyone in relation to his brother’s killing.

“I know who killed my daughter. We have all watched the videos and we know who fired gas on our sons, while they were kept inside a cage that they could not escape, till they died of asphyxia,” said Amer Hebeishy, father of Hala, another victim. “All what we hear are lies. However, there is nothing we can do.” He wonders,”How would ordinary people have access to tear gas? And if they did, how and why would they hide among the police securing the stadium to use it against the fans without the police stopping them?”

 

He said that his daughter was the only one whose body did not undergo an autopsy, as she was transferred to a nearby hospital in the Fifth Settlement district by a passer-by. In the hospital, the doctor concluded she had died out of asphyxia.

“Mortada Mansour [Head of Zamalek Club] told me he will file a lawsuit to defend the rights of the victims,” he said, accusing police of killing his daughter.

 

According to Abdel Hakim, Hala’s brother, the decision made no reference to the role of the police. “We know who killed the young people in the stadium, I have seen them with my own eyes." The brother of Hala and Sara, who accompanied them to the match, said: “My sigblings were not involved in any riting, especially when they were locked inside a cage and killed.”

 

An anonymous member of Ultras member added: “There is an ongoing effort to do away with the White Knights group. It started with detaining dozens of our members and sentencing them in prisonr.”

Riham Hussein, the mother of 19-year old Omar Sherif, who was referred by the prosecutor to the Criminal Court, told Al-Masry Al-Youm: “My son entered the match with Mortada Mansour and I showed the picture proving this to the prosecution. He had a ticket. I also showed a certificate from his university, proving his good behaviour.”

 

 

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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