30 Sep 2020; MEMO: Egyptian police killed a man in Luxor during a raid on Wednesday after he objected to police physically and verbally assaulting his elderly father and arrested his brother.
Eyewitnesses say police shot Awais Al-Rawi in the head in front of his family after troops and armoured vehicles descended on his village. This came moments after Al-Rawi stood up to an officer who had insulted and slapped his father.
A video posted under the trending Arabic hashtag, Friday we’re coming out in our millions, shows police shooting into crowds of mourners who gathered for his funeral.
Egyptians have been protesting since 20 September against the ruling regime after soaring prices have left people unable to eat and house demolitions have left them homeless.
The protests were called for by whistleblower Mohamed Ali, who last year ignited anti-regime protests after his allegations of corruption.
The bulk of the protests are taking place in rural areas and Upper Egypt, away from the heavy security presence in the main squares in cities, which has led to them being labelled the galabiya uprising.
Security forces have responded brutally, using tear gas, live bullets and ammunition against demonstrators.
Last Friday, on the day of rage, police killed 25-year-old Sami Wagdy Bashir in Al-Blida village in Giza Governorate with live ammunition.
Earlier this week the public prosecution announced it had released 68 children arrested since the start of the demonstrations, some who had been detained for a week.
Two of the children, Yahya Khairy Abdel Qader and Muhamad Ahmad, were Nubian boys arrested after demonstrating in Aswan.
Following their arrest, protesters gathered in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters in Aswan demanding their release.
Some 400 people have been arrested since the start of the galabiya uprising.
Most have been accused of trumped up charges typically levelled at political protesters, including joining a terror group and disseminating false news.
