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→‎Aftermath: expanding, with reliable sources to verify the impact of Saaed's death and the photographs that went viral on the internet
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==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
===Post-mortem photographs go viral===
⚫
[[File:Khaled Mohamed Saeed holding up a tiny, flailing, stone-faced Hosni Mubarak.png|thumb|left|upright|Political cartoon of Saeed and [[Hosni Mubarak]], published during the [[2011 Egyptian protests]].]]
When Saaed's family visited his body in the morgue, his brother snapped pictures of the corpse using his mobile phone.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.almasryalyoum.com/node/55686 | title = Al-Masry Al-Youm Exclusive: Khaled Saeed Case Investigation | date = 12/07/2010 | author = Ahmed Shalaby
⚫
The photo of Saeed's corpse was released onto the internet in June of 2010, causing a large outcry and the creation of a [[Facebook]] memorial page for Saeed that has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers, becoming Egypt's biggest dissident Facebook page.<ref name="NYTFB">{{Cite news |title=Facebook and YouTube Fuel the Egyptian Protests |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/middleeast/06face.html |date=February 5, 2011 |last=Preston |first=Jennifer |work=The New York Times}}</ref> It was because of the photo and the heavy amount of international criticism that arose from the incident that the Egyptian government consented to a trial for the two detectives involved in his death.<ref>{{cite news |title=We are all Khaled Saeed: Redefining political demonstration in Egypt |author=Noha El-Hennawy |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/we-are-all-khaled-saeed-redefining-political-demonstration-egypt |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=August 4, 2010 |accessdate=January 27, 2011}}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] released a press report about the photo that stated, "Photos of Said's battered and deformed face published on the internet show a fractured skull, dislocated jaw, broken nose, and numerous other signs of trauma" and also that the image clearly showed "strong evidence that plainclothes security officers beat him in a vicious and public manner."<ref name="CNN"></ref>
Mostafa ElMarsfawy | work = [[Almasry Alyoum]]}}</ref> The photo of Saeed's corpse was released onto the internet by Saeed's family in June of 2010, causing a large outcry.<ref name="NYTFB"/> [[Human Rights Watch]] released a press report about the photo that stated, "Photos of Said's battered and deformed face published on the internet show a fractured skull, dislocated jaw, broken nose, and numerous other signs of trauma" and also that the image clearly showed "strong evidence that plainclothes security officers beat him in a vicious and public manner."<ref name="CNN"/>

⚫
Among those who saw the photo, Google marketing executive [[Wael Ghonim]] in [[Dubai]] created a [[Facebook]] memorial page for Saeed that attracted hundreds of thousands of followers, becoming Egypt's biggest dissident Facebook page.<ref name=NATO>{{cite web | url = http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2011/Social_Medias/Egypt_Facebook/EN/index.htm | title = Egypt and Facebook: Time to Update Its Status | work = Nato Review | publisher = [[NATO]] | date = 2011 | accessdate = 19 March 2011 | last = Heaven | first = Will}}</ref><ref name="NYTFB">{{Cite news |title=Facebook and YouTube Fuel the Egyptian Protests |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/middleeast/06face.html |date=February 5, 2011 |last=Preston |first=Jennifer |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The photograph rapidly went viral,<ref name=NATO/><ref name=ABC/> with many Facebook members using it for their profiles.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/africa/undercover-police-arrested-over-beating-death-of-egyptian-man | title = Undercover Police Arrested Over Beating Death of Egyptian Man | author = Nadia abou el Magd | date = 2 July 2010 | accessdate = 19 March 2011 | work = [[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]}}</ref> It was because of the photo and the heavy amount of international criticism that arose from the incident that the Egyptian government consented to a trial for the two detectives involved in his death.<ref>{{cite news |title=We are all Khaled Saeed: Redefining political demonstration in Egypt |author=Noha El-Hennawy |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/we-are-all-khaled-saeed-redefining-political-demonstration-egypt |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=August 4, 2010 |accessdate=January 27, 2011}}</ref>


===Protests===
===Protests===
{{see also|2011 Egyptian protests}}
{{see also|2011 Egyptian protests}}
⚫
[[File:Khaled Mohamed Saeed holding up a tiny, flailing, stone-faced Hosni Mubarak.png|thumb|left|upright|Political cartoon of Saeed and [[Hosni Mubarak]], published during the [[2011 Egyptian protests]].]]
On 25 June, 2010, [[Mohamed ElBaradei]], former head of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]], led a rally in Alexandria against alleged abuses by the police and visited Saeed's family to offer condolences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/201062642955204618.html|title=ElBaradei leads anti-torture rally|publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]|date=2010-06-26|accessdate=2010-07-13}}</ref><ref>Nadia Abou el Magd, [http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/africa/egypts-elbaradei-leads-thousands-in-protest-against-police?pageCount=0 "Egypt's ElBaradei leads thousands in protest against police"], ''The National'', Jun 26, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-06.</ref> Protests over Saeed's death also occurred in [[Cairo|Cairo's]] [[Tahrir Square]] and in front of the Egyptian Embassy in [[London]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Weekend protests in US and UK against Khaled Saeed's murder |author=Heba El Kodsy; Mohamed Hany |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/weekend-protests-us-and-uk-against-khaled-saeeds-murder |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=June 17, 2010 |accessdate=January 26, 2011}}</ref> Thirty of the protesters in Tahrir Square were arrested by Central Security officers after the "security personnel vigorously beat back the crowds to keep them from reaching the ministry building."<ref>{{cite news |title=Security thwarts protest over Saeed's death |author=Mostafa; ElMarsfawy; Mohsan Semika; Mohamed Hany |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/security-thwarts-protest-over-saeeds-death |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=June 21, 2010 |accessdate=January 26, 2011}}</ref><ref name="San Diego"/>
On 25 June, 2010, [[Mohamed ElBaradei]], former head of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]], led a rally in Alexandria against alleged abuses by the police and visited Saeed's family to offer condolences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/06/201062642955204618.html|title=ElBaradei leads anti-torture rally|publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]|date=2010-06-26|accessdate=2010-07-13}}</ref><ref>Nadia Abou el Magd, [http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/africa/egypts-elbaradei-leads-thousands-in-protest-against-police?pageCount=0 "Egypt's ElBaradei leads thousands in protest against police"], ''The National'', Jun 26, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-06.</ref> Protests over Saeed's death also occurred in [[Cairo|Cairo's]] [[Tahrir Square]] and in front of the Egyptian Embassy in [[London]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Weekend protests in US and UK against Khaled Saeed's murder |author=Heba El Kodsy; Mohamed Hany |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/weekend-protests-us-and-uk-against-khaled-saeeds-murder |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=June 17, 2010 |accessdate=January 26, 2011}}</ref> Thirty of the protesters in Tahrir Square were arrested by Central Security officers after the "security personnel vigorously beat back the crowds to keep them from reaching the ministry building."<ref>{{cite news |title=Security thwarts protest over Saeed's death |author=Mostafa; ElMarsfawy; Mohsan Semika; Mohamed Hany |url=http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/security-thwarts-protest-over-saeeds-death |newspaper=[[Almasry Alyoum]] |date=June 21, 2010 |accessdate=January 26, 2011}}</ref><ref name="San Diego"/>


Saeed's death has been named one of the catalysts of the [[2011 Egyptian protests]], as an instance in which people formed a community around opposition to police brutality and, by extension, other government abuses.<ref name="NYTFB"/> On February 11, 2011, these protests resulted in the resignation of [[Hosni Mubarak]] after 30 years in power.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-11/mubarak-leaves-presidency-hands-power-to-egypt-s-military-suleiman-says.html|title=Mubarak Resigns as Egyptian President|publisher=[[Bloomberg]]|date=2011-02-11|accessdate=2011-02-11}}</ref>
While the actual impact of Ghonim's site cannot be determined,<ref name=NATO/> it was Ghonim who first published a call to protest on January 25th, to the followers of his blog, and protestors carried banners and posters displaying the photograph of Saaed's corpse.<ref name=ABC/>{{cite news | url = http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/egypt-face-launched-revolution/story?id=12841488&page=1 | last = Ross | first = Brian | coauthors = Matthew Cole | title= Egypt: The Face That Launched A Revolution | work = [[ABC News]] | date = 2011 | accessdate = 19 March, 2011}}</ref> [[ABC News]] characterized Saaed in his morgue photo as "The Face That Launched a Revolution.<ref name=ABC/> This has been named one of the catalysts of the [[2011 Egyptian protests]], as an instance in which people formed a community around opposition to police brutality and, by extension, other government abuses.<ref name="NYTFB"/> On February 11, 2011, these protests resulted in the resignation of [[Hosni Mubarak]] after 30 years in power.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-11/mubarak-leaves-presidency-hands-power-to-egypt-s-military-suleiman-says.html|title=Mubarak Resigns as Egyptian President|publisher=[[Bloomberg]]|date=2011-02-11|accessdate=2011-02-11}}</ref> The ''Washington Post'' wrote that "Had it not been for a leaked morgue photo of his mangled corpse, tenacious relatives and the power of Facebook, the death of Khaled Said would have become a footnote in the annals of Egyptian police brutality. Instead, outrage over the beating death of the 28-year-old man in this coastal city last summer, and attempts by local authorities to cover it up, helped spark the mass protests demanding the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak."<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/08/AR2011020806360.html | title= Egyptian Man's Death Became Symbol of Callous State | first = Ernesto | last = Londono | date = 9 February 2011 | accessdate = 19 March 2011 | work = [[Washington Post]]}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 22:56, 19 March 2011

Death of Khaled Mohamed Saeed
Khaled Mohamed Saeed
DateJune 6, 2010

Khaled Mohamed Saeed (Arabic: خالد محمد سعيد IPA: [ˈxæːled mæˈħæmːæd sæˈʕiːd]; January 27, 1982 – June 6, 2010) was a young Egyptian man who died under disputed circumstances in the Sidi Gaber area of Alexandria on June 6, 2010, after being arrested by Egyptian police. Photos of his disfigured corpse spread throughout online communities and incited outrage over allegations that he was beaten to death by Egyptian security forces. A prominent Facebook group, "We are all Khaled Said", moderated by Wael Ghonim, brought attention to his death and contributed to growing discontent in the weeks leading up to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. [1][2]

Personal life

Saeed was raised by his mother and the rest of his extended family after the death of his father when he was young. Showing an interest in computers, he stayed for some time and studied computer programming in the United States. He also loved music and had been composing a musical piece before his death.[3]

Death

On June 6, 2010, Saeed had been sitting on the second floor of a cybercafe. Two detectives from the Sidi Gaber police station entered the premises and arrested him, allegedly beating him and smashing him against objects as he was led outside to their police car.[4]

Multiple witnesses have testified that Saeed was beaten to death by the police,[5] but the police reported that Saeed had suffocated in an attempt to swallow a packet of hashish, supported by two autopsy reports of the Forensic Authorities.[6] The police further stated that Saeed was "wanted for theft and weapons possession and that he resisted arrest."[7] Two police officers were later jailed for four days pending questioning on beatings that they allegedly carried out on Saeed.[8] It was stated by family members that he was "tortured to death for possessing video material that implicates members of the police in a drug deal."[9]

The owner of the internet cafe in which Saeed was arrested stated that he was a witness to Saeed being beaten to death in the doorway of the building across the way after the detectives took him out of the cafe at the owner's request:[10]

"We thought they would just interrogate him or ask him questions. But they took him as he struggled with his hands behind his back and banged his head against the marble table inside here," Mosbah said in an interview conducted by a journalist from the liberal opposition al-Ghad newspaper.
Mosbah said he told the police to take it outside and they hauled Said into the doorway of a nearby building. He did not emerge alive, said the cafe owner.

During an interview with the opposition party, El-Ghad's, newspaper, he was reported stating, "They dragged him to the adjacent building and banged his head against an iron door, the steps of the staircase and walls of the building...Two doctors happened to be there and tried in vain to revive him but (the police) continued beating him". Hassan Mosbah continued, stating; "They continued to beat him even when he was dead". This description given by the owner was confirmed as valid by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.[10]

Former chief medical examiner of Egypt, Ayman Fouda, was interviewed about the proper procedure that should have been followed for Saeed's autopsy. He stated that the "mechanics of the injuries" that Saeed had sustained should have been investigated and his brain should have also been tested to see whether he had had a concussion, as the medical examiner that had conducted the autopsy had done neither.[11]

Aftermath

Post-mortem photographs go viral

When Saaed's family visited his body in the morgue, his brother snapped pictures of the corpse using his mobile phone.[12] The photo of Saeed's corpse was released onto the internet by Saeed's family in June of 2010, causing a large outcry.[13] Human Rights Watch released a press report about the photo that stated, "Photos of Said's battered and deformed face published on the internet show a fractured skull, dislocated jaw, broken nose, and numerous other signs of trauma" and also that the image clearly showed "strong evidence that plainclothes security officers beat him in a vicious and public manner."[7]

Among those who saw the photo, Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim in Dubai created a Facebook memorial page for Saeed that attracted hundreds of thousands of followers, becoming Egypt's biggest dissident Facebook page.[14][13] The photograph rapidly went viral,[14][15] with many Facebook members using it for their profiles.[16] It was because of the photo and the heavy amount of international criticism that arose from the incident that the Egyptian government consented to a trial for the two detectives involved in his death.[17]

Protests

See also: 2011 Egyptian protests
Political cartoon of Saeed and Hosni Mubarak, published during the 2011 Egyptian protests.

On 25 June, 2010, Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, led a rally in Alexandria against alleged abuses by the police and visited Saeed's family to offer condolences.[18][19] Protests over Saeed's death also occurred in Cairo's Tahrir Square and in front of the Egyptian Embassy in London.[20] Thirty of the protesters in Tahrir Square were arrested by Central Security officers after the "security personnel vigorously beat back the crowds to keep them from reaching the ministry building."[21][10]

While the actual impact of Ghonim's site cannot be determined,[14] it was Ghonim who first published a call to protest on January 25th, to the followers of his blog, and protestors carried banners and posters displaying the photograph of Saaed's corpse.[15]Ross, Brian (2011). "Egypt: The Face That Launched A Revolution". ABC News. Retrieved 19 March, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)</ref> ABC News characterized Saaed in his morgue photo as "The Face That Launched a Revolution.[15] This has been named one of the catalysts of the 2011 Egyptian protests, as an instance in which people formed a community around opposition to police brutality and, by extension, other government abuses.[13] On February 11, 2011, these protests resulted in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in power.[22] The Washington Post wrote that "Had it not been for a leaked morgue photo of his mangled corpse, tenacious relatives and the power of Facebook, the death of Khaled Said would have become a footnote in the annals of Egyptian police brutality. Instead, outrage over the beating death of the 28-year-old man in this coastal city last summer, and attempts by local authorities to cover it up, helped spark the mass protests demanding the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak."[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Anger on the streets of Cairo". The National (Abu Dhabi). 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-07-13.[dead link]
  2. ^ "Google worker is Egypt's Facebook hero". Financial Times. February 9 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Lina Attalah (June 30, 2010). "Q&A with Ali Qassem, uncle of slain youth Khaled Saeed (part one)". Almasry Alyoum. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Two witnesses affirm Alex victim beaten by police". Almasry Alyoum. June 19, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  5. ^ "Anger in Alexandria: 'We're afraid of our own government'". Almasry Alyoum. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  6. ^ "Journalists protest state media coverage of Alexandria police killing". Almasry Alyoum. 2010-06-230. Retrieved 2010-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b Ben Wedeman (June 25, 2010). "Demonstrators in Egypt rail against brutality, man's death". CNN. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  8. ^ "Egyptian protesters see policemen's jailing in activist's death as a victory". Gulf News. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  9. ^ "Police killing sparks Egypt protest". Al Jazeera English. June 14, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Paul Schemm (June 13, 2010). "Egypt cafe owner describes police beating death". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  11. ^ Dareen Farghaly (June 30, 2010). "Interview: Former chief medical examiner on Khaled Saeed autopsy". Almasry Alyoum. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  12. ^ Ahmed Shalaby Mostafa ElMarsfawy (12/07/2010). "Al-Masry Al-Youm Exclusive: Khaled Saeed Case Investigation". Almasry Alyoum. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |author= at position 14 (help)
  13. ^ a b c Preston, Jennifer (February 5, 2011). "Facebook and YouTube Fuel the Egyptian Protests". The New York Times.
  14. ^ a b c Heaven, Will (2011). "Egypt and Facebook: Time to Update Its Status". Nato Review. NATO. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  15. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference ABC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Nadia abou el Magd (2 July 2010). "Undercover Police Arrested Over Beating Death of Egyptian Man". The National. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  17. ^ Noha El-Hennawy (August 4, 2010). "We are all Khaled Saeed: Redefining political demonstration in Egypt". Almasry Alyoum. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  18. ^ "ElBaradei leads anti-torture rally". Al Jazeera English. 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  19. ^ Nadia Abou el Magd, "Egypt's ElBaradei leads thousands in protest against police", The National, Jun 26, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  20. ^ Heba El Kodsy; Mohamed Hany (June 17, 2010). "Weekend protests in US and UK against Khaled Saeed's murder". Almasry Alyoum. Retrieved January 26, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Mostafa; ElMarsfawy; Mohsan Semika; Mohamed Hany (June 21, 2010). "Security thwarts protest over Saeed's death". Almasry Alyoum. Retrieved January 26, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Mubarak Resigns as Egyptian President". Bloomberg. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  23. ^ Londono, Ernesto (9 February 2011). "Egyptian Man's Death Became Symbol of Callous State". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 March 2011.

External links

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