France launches investigation into mysterious death of Egypt PhD student, amid rumours of foul play

Authorities in France have launched an investigation into the death of an Egyptian PhD student in the French capital, Paris, last week, amid growing claims of her death being under suspicious and targeted circumstances.

Reem Hamed, a 29-year-old researcher in biotechnology and a PhD student at the Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell at Paris-Saclay University, died in the French capital on 22 August. Although the cause of her death was initially thought to be natural and without malevolent intent, it remains unknown, with suspicions growing online over the nature of the death.

According to apparent screenshots from her social media accounts, Hamed had published a number of posts warning of stalking activities and threats made to her, in what many have called ‘a cry for help’.

In one post, she stated that “I, Reem Hamed, a PhD student in France, testify that I am in a dire need to inform the concerned security authorities in Egypt that I have been under surveillance and that my [electronic] devices have been infiltrated and above all I am being forced to remain silent and not to report [the violations]”.

In other posts, Hamed claimed that she was actively being followed by unknown persons, that her food had been tampered with, and even that a neighbour of hers had spread an unknown gas under her doorstep possibly intended to sedate or kill her. According to those posts, her reports of the incidents to both the French police and the Egyptian embassy were neglected and not taken seriously.

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The screenshots of those alleged posts have not yet been verified by any source or outlet but, if they are authentic, they were reportedly deleted soon before her death last Thursday.

Following the news of Hamed’s death, the Egyptian Consulate General in Paris reportedly contacted French authorities over the weekend to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, instructing the Consulate General to closely monitor the developments in regards to the investigation surrounding the cause of her death.

Abdelatty also reportedly ordered the expedition of necessary procedures – after the completion of the investigation – to obtain Hamed’s death certificate and to transport her remains back to Egypt.

Since her death and the surfacing of the apparent screenshots, many on social media compared the case to those of other Egyptian scientists who have died under mysterious circumstances throughout the decades. They include Dr. Samira Moussa, the Egyptian nuclear scientist who mysteriously died in 1952, as well as Ali Moustafa Mosharafa, the Egyptian theoretical physicist who died in 1950.

For now, the investigation into Hamed’s death and its causes are ongoing, and her brother, Nader Hamed, has urged social media users in a Facebook post to stop sharing posts and rumours regarding his sister’s passing. “The incident is being investigated by the French prosecution. No official report has yet been released about Reem’s death that confirms or denies any criminal suspicions,” he wrote.

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