Mohamed Mohsen
Mohamed Mohsen was born on the 1st of April 1988 in Upper Egypt. He grew up in Aswan City and joined the Faculty of Industrial Education in Sohag. He was a diligent young man who worked over summer break to provide for his education.
He joined Al-Baradei’s campaign and the National Society for Change in Aswan and Sohag in 2009. He was among its most important activists. He participated in the 25th of January Revolution since its start and after the 11th of February he became a members of the Coalition of Youth for the Revolution in Sohag Governorate. He participated in a sit-in in Tahrir Square for the first time in July 2011.
On the 23rd of July, 2011, the protesters in Tahrir Square have set out to for a peaceful march from Tahrir Square to the Ministry of Defense in Abbasiyah demanding a trial for murderers of the revolutionists as well as having the power of authority handed over to civilians from the ruling Military Council. The Military Council released a statement as soon as the march was announced accusing the 6th of April Youth Movement, one of the movements that had called out for the march, of treason and destructiveness. They also called out for “honorable citizens” to go and stand against the march. The Major General Hasan Al-Rowini, the leader of the Central Military Base and one of the leaders of the Military Council, had appeared on television calling for citizens to oppose the march.
Mohamed Mohsen was part of the crowd of protesters at the march headed to the Ministry of Defense, but the protesters were surprised by a number of army forces along with civilians forming a wall around the march and attacking them with rocks. Several civilians also took to the roofs of the buildings and started throwing rocks at the protesters—the protesters started throwing rocks back. Mohamed Mohsen was hit with a rock to his head and started bleeding heavily. His friends had attempted to rescue him by taking him out of the siege but were not able to until two hours later. Mohamed Mohsen died on the 3rd of August.
The Egyptian Authorities have refused to include Mohamed Mohsen on the list of the martyrs of the 25th of January revolution, therefore depriving him of everything that comes along with the title. The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights filed a lawsuit to include Mohamed Mohsen as one of the martyrs of the 25th of January Revolution. The lawsuit, number 16645, for judicial year 66 had come down to the Secretary-General of the National Council for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and Injured, the President of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Dr. Kamal Al-Ganzory, the head of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Insurance, and the Minister of Finance. On the 6th of November 2012, the Supreme Administrative Court issued a ruling declaring Mohamed Mohsen one of the martyrs of the 25th of January Revolution and assigning a street in his city of Aswan to be named after him, as well as providing his family with the financial and emotional benefit that is provided for the martyrs of the revolution.