Egypt economist found dead, police deny 'enforced disappearance'

The Egyptian economist Ayman Hadhoud, who was allegedly detained according to his family in early February, has died, his brother told AFP on Sunday as The interior ministry denies an "enforced disappearance".

"According to the prosecutor's office, he died on 5 March", Omar Hadhoud, the brother of the dead economist, told AFP.

Hadhoud was in charge of economic issues in the liberal Reform and Development Party of Mohamed Sadat, a member of parliament and nephew of assassinated president Sadat who recently negotiated the release of many activists in Egypt.

According to Omar Hadhoud, "Ayman appeared to have gone missing since February 5. He added, on February 8th, asked them to look him in a police station" in Cairo.

Their older brother who went to the police station was asked by the police to return two are three days later, “…he will stay with us for a while," he said, citing the police, adding that "afterwards they denied holding him in detention".

Citing "security sources", the Interior Ministry replied on Facebook on Sunday "on 6 February, a building guard had complained that (Ayman Hadhoud) had tried to break the door of a flat".

The sources added that "in view of his irresponsible behaviour, the prosecutor's office has ordered his internment in a psychiatric hospital", denying accusations of "enforced disappearance".

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country with 103 million inhabitants, is regularly denounced for its human rights record: According to human rights groups, the country has 60,000 prisoners of conscience.