The family of an Egyptian Coptic Christian soldier who died last month on his first day at work says he was murdered because of his Christian faith.
The soldier died in the same regiment where another Copt died in mysterious circumstances in November 2015, according to World Watch Monitor (WWM).
WWM reported that, having just completed his army training, 22-year-old Joseph Helmy reported for duty at Al-Salaam Special Forces unit, on the Cairo-Ismailia desert road, at 2pm on 19 July. Six hours later, he was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Army officials claimed that he died after suffering an epileptic fit, during which he hit himself repeatedly, but his family says he had no history of seizures and that his whole body was covered in bruises. A hospital report said the injuries he sustained suggested a 'criminal' assault.
Four soldiers have been arrested on suspicion of beating Helmy to death. Helmy's family have stressed they want the soldiers to be convicted of murder - not manslaughter - because they believe it was their intention to kill him.
On 24 July, the soldiers testified in court that they were acting under the instruction of their supervising officer, Captain Mohammad Turk, but he has not been charged due to a 'lack of evidence'.
Helmy's cousin, Youssef Youakim, told WWM that other soldiers told him that Captain Turk had taken issue with Helmy's tattoos – of two Christian saints and a cross – asking him to remove them.
The witnesses told Youakim that when his cousin said he was unable to remove the tattoos, Helmy was first placed in solitary confinement, and then beaten to death.
Helmy's father, Reda, said the family was 'shocked' when they saw his brutalised body. 'His body had numerous wounds and bruises in various places – below the neck, chest, sides, abdomen, genitalia, knees, feet – and bad injuries on his back, indicating that he had been dragged along the ground,' he said.
'When Joseph joined the military, our family were very worried about him and afraid that he would be killed in a terrorist operation by ISIS, as we hear about many attacks against military and police soldiers taking place daily. But my son wasn't killed by ISIS terrorists. He was killed by terrorists inside the state institution, who target our sons because of their religious identification.'
The priest at the family's church in Kafr Dawish village, in the Beni Suef Governorate south of Cairo, paid tribute to his former church member and said that his faith was strong. 'Joseph was a very good young man,' Fr Hatour Boushra told WWM. 'He was very modest, honest and loved by all. He had a strong relationship with God.'
Boushra added that Helmy was set to be married in October. 'But now he is a bridegroom of heaven,' he said. 'He went to a good place in Heaven, with Jesus Christ. We ask God to comfort all the members of his family and give them the patience and strength to bear the pain of his loss.
'The killing of Joseph isn't the first incident like this in a military unit, but I hope it will be the last. He was targeted and killed by those criminals because of his faith in Jesus Christ, so our Church considers him one its martyrs. Jesus Christ reminded us: 'I'll send you as lambs among wolves', so what is expected when a lamb enters a herd of wolves? They will prey on him.'
A lawyer acting on behalf of the family, Ramses Al-Nagar, pointed to the similarities between Joseph Helmy's death and that of Bishoy Kamel, who died at the same unit in November 2015.
'There are some terrorists in this unit who try to kill the conscripts because of their religious identification," Al-Nagar told WWM. 'Clearly, no decisive action has been taken inside this unit since Bishoy was killed, to prevent any attack on a new Christian conscript.'
An analyst for the World Watch Research unit of the charity Open Doors, Yonas Dembele, said: 'This incident confirms reports about the abuse of Christians in the Egyptian Army and is an indication of the hostility and harassment Christians face in various sectors of Egyptian society. Although this is an extreme example, it is symptomatic of the overall vulnerability of Egyptian Christians to ill-treatment in different arenas. The fact that the authorities have arrested the [soldiers] is a very positive development. However, there is still the possibility that [they] will not be held accountable.'
World Watch Monitor provided a list of other Copts 'found dead' in the military:
February 2016 – Michael Gamal, 22, died from a gunshot wound to his chest. His regiment – in Shebeen El-Kom, in the Menofia Governorate north of Cairo – said he had committed suicide, but his family disputed the claim.
November 2015 – Bishoy Kamel, 21, was said to have hanged himself at his military unit – the same as Joseph Helmy's – but his body 'showed signs of torture'.
August 2015 – Bahaa Karam, 22, was shot dead by a Muslim colleague following a religious dispute at his regiment in the coastal town of Marsa Matruh, in the Matrouh Governorate.
July 2015 – Abraam Girgis, part of the Central Security unit in Cairo, was said by the army to have 'fainted', but a forensic report recorded multiple injuries and said there was 'suspicion' he was the victim of a crime.
June 2015 – Bahaa Silvanus, 23, died from two gunshot wounds at his army unit on the Cairo-Suez desert road. He was the only Christian in his unit. His battalion alleged that he committed suicide. His father said the results of the autopsy were simply 'not true'.
August 2013 – Abou Al-Khair, 22, and his unit were responsible for security at a stadium in Damietta, 200km north of Cairo. The military police informed his family that he committed suicide, but he was known to have had a confrontation with a Muslim colleague who had told him to convert to Islam.
September 2006 – Girgis Youssef, 20, was said to have died from a 'sudden drop in blood pressure'. But when his family were preparing his body for burial, they discovered wounds on his shoulders and severe bruising and swelling on his testicles. A colleague of his later told the family he had been regularly insulted, humiliated and beaten because he was a Christian.
August 2006 – Hany Nasrallah, 21, was found dead in the Nile River near Nag Hammadi – in the Qena Governorate in Upper Egypt. There were signs of torture on his body. According his relatives, Nasrallah told his family shortly before his death that there had been a disagreement between him and the commander of his unit, because he was a Christian. He told them that the commander bullied him in front of his colleagues.
