Head of Alexandria University resigns after student killed

Head of Alexandria University Osamah Ibrahim reportedly filed his resignation only hours after one of the students at his university died from his injuries after being shot in the head.

Ibrahim did not announce the reason behind his resignation, but informed sources cited by Alamat Online website attributed his resignation to the killing of student Omar Abdel-Wahab Al-Sharif, who died on Tuesday after he was shot during a protest at the university last week.

Students and faculty across Egypt have been staging demonstrations since the new academic year began earlier this month to protest against the draconian measures the regime has recently taken against academic freedom in Egypt, as well as against the freedom of speech and association.

However, Alamat Online reported that other observers are attributing Ibrahim’s resignation to the government’s interference in his work as head of the university, suggesting that his resignation came after the PM’s decision to investigate him over the interruption of study at the university.

Other reasons that could have contributed to Ibrahim’s resignation include the sudden visit of Alexandria’s governor to the university, as well as the tour that the youth and sports minister organised at the university’s stadiums without any coordination with Ibrahim.

Ibrahim had said that he was not informed about the visit of the youth and sports minister and was quite surprised by it.

Sources told Alamat Online that the resignation would be examined further on Wednesday.