The family of a young Christian man who died under suspicious circumstances in an Egyptian prison is speaking out.
Tadros Emad, 20, worked as a tuk-tuk driver in Egypt to support his parents and siblings. On the morning of April 23, 2024, Emad was driving the taxi when he accidentally hit the car driven by a lawyer. The owners of both vehicles stopped to discuss the incident. When the attorney exited her car and approached Emad, she noticed a tattooed cross on his hand, a mark that all Coptic Christians have in Egypt.
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That was when the previously neutral interaction turned hostile.
“She insulted him severely and a verbal altercation occurred between them,” said Emad’s uncle, who did not give his name. “She then went to the police station and filed a police report against Tadros — not because of the accident — but claiming that he had physically and verbally harassed her.”
The police then arrested Emad.
“There is CCTV footage of the incident. The whole event was caught on tape,” said another of Emad’s relatives. “We have watched the surveillance cameras on the street, and it became clear to us that Tadros did not harass this woman. It seemed to be a normal interaction.”
As soon as he arrived at the police station, an officer forced Emad to sign a document without allowing him to read it. It was a full confession, and Emad was placed in prison.
On the following day, April 24, Emad was charged with harassing the lawyer he accidentally hit. He denied the charge and maintained his innocence, but the signed confession document ultimately led to further detention. The judge sentenced him to four days in prison, with an additional 30 days, pending investigation.
While in prison, Emad called his brother from another inmate’s cell phone. Severely distressed, Emad said he was being severely tortured and not allowed to sleep.
Three weeks later, on May 14, Emad’s mother received a call from the woman who accused Emad of harassing her. She said that Emad was sick and the officers at the police station needed her to go to the station so she could accompany him to the hospital.
Emad’s mother rushed to the station and was met by the head police officer who told her she needed to take him to the hospital after signing a release document. After she signed it, the head officer said that Emad had died, and his body was in the hospital. Before she could see Emad, she was forced to give testimony to the prosecution while in a state of shock and deep grief.
“We believe wholeheartedly that Tadros was tortured to death at the police station,” said Tadros’s relative. “They attempted to cover it by saying he was sick, calling in his mother, and having her sign the release form stating he was ill, even though he was already dead.”
Emad’s family believes the police made his mother sign the report so they could deny responsibility for his killing at the police station. The autopsy report showed the cause of death was due to internal bleeding in the brain and severe blood loss.
“This does not happen by accident,” the relative said.
The family also believes religious discrimination played a role in his arrest, mistreatment, and death.
“We have lost a person dear to us. He was a very simple, humble young man who was loved by everyone. We are all grieving deeply after his loss. Please pray for all of us,” the family said.
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Girgis is a writer for Global Christian Relief (GCR), America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.