Death of Egyptian director whose video mocked Sisi prompts calls for investigation
Filmmaker Shady Habash, who was arrested after directing a controversial music video, died at the age of 24 in a Cairo prison.
Opposition parties and human rights advocates in Egypt are calling for an investigation into the death of a young filmmaker in a Cairo prison.
Shady Habash died in the capital city’s maximum-security Tora prison after his health had deteriorated for several days, his lawyer told Agence France-Presse.
The 24-year-old filmmaker was arrested in March 2018 for “spreading fake news” and “belonging to an illegal organization” after directing a popular music video that mocked President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The song, “Balaha,” was widely popular in Egypt, garnering more than five million views on YouTube.
Ramy Essam, who starred in the music video, wrote that Habash was “the kindest and bravest of people.”
