Egyptian Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hano on Saturday formed a committee to investigate the death of an employee at the Cairo Opera House, Hany Abdel-Qader, whose suicide went viral on social media after speculation that he was subject to abuse from a colleague at work.
The Culture Minister expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and stressed that the ministry will spare no effort in following up and providing the necessary support to his family.
A singer at the Cairo Opera House, Enas Ezz-Eddin, shared the news of Abdel-Qader’s suicide.
She wrote on her Facebook account: “A colleague of ours at the opera, a man of good morals, from whom we have never seen anything but respect, died by suicide. He threw himself into the Nile because of a great injustice that befell him and left this note.”
Ezz-Eddin attached to her post a handwritten letter attributed to the deceased employee.
She warned against toxic environments that are not conducive to employees and demanded an urgent investigation by the Culture Ministry into the incident.
The letter, titled “Letter from an oppressed person to his oppressor” and signed by Abdel-Qader, reads:
“You will see me in the disobedience of your children, you will see me in the treachery of those around you, you will see me in the abandonment of your friends, you will see me in your prayers that are not answered, you will see me in your shattered and unfulfilled dreams, you will see me in your illness, weakness and failure, and I ask Allah Almighty that you see me.”
Abdel-Qader reportedly wrote it hours before committing suicide.
The letter caused a huge uproar and was widely circulated on social media. The employee worked in the Protocol and Ceremonies Department, and according to what some of his close associates revealed, had strong and good relationships with all his coworkers and was the father of three girls.
A dispute had broken out between him and a work colleague, leaving him in such a poor mental state that he was to be referred to investigations.
