Basem Ahmed AlMaghraby
Bassem Ahmed Al-Maghreby was born on the 1st of April 1987, in Karansho Village, Basion Centre, Gharbia Governorate which is 300 meters away from Cairo. He was an outstanding student in his studies and joined the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, where he worked as a resident doctor after graduating from El-Menshawy General Hospital in Gharbia. Ever since he was a child, he was known for being keen on religious teachings, performing duties at the Mosque, and memorizing and reciting the Qur’an at all times. His friends have also known him for honoring his parents and constantly fulfilling duties to his relatives. He wasn’t just a doctor, but a poet and an artist—he was skilled in Arabic calligraphy and would never hold back knowledge, advice, or assistance.
Bassem participated in the 25th of January Revolution, taking part in the sit-in at Tahrir Square, as well as the Battle of the Camels. When Mubarak stepped down, he wrote on his Facebook feed: “Hold your head high up, Egypt… your children are back in your arms”. He was also one of the first people to join the Rabaa sit-in. He would split his time between the sit-in and his work in El-Gharbia Governorate.
He was at his house in Tanta Governorate when the armed forces initiated the crack-down on protesters at the Rabaa sit-in. Despite the immense difficulty in obtaining transportation that day, he nonetheless insisted on going from Tanta to the sit-in in Cairo despite knowing the dangers that live ammunition was being fired at the protesters according to news reports broadcasting the events in Rabaa Square. Shortly after arriving, he was shot by a sniper. The bullets penetrated his right arm and stomach from the right and left sides.
The last thing he wrote on his Facebook profile shortly before he was killed was: “We are under siege at the Nasr City Police Office No.1, live bullets and tear gas as vile as it could ever get, My Lord, take revenge on them and help us win.”