Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday that it is closely following up on the legal possibilities related to the assault of the young Egyptian girl Mariam Abdel Salam that ultimately led to her death.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid asserted in the statement that the ministry will continue following up on the case until justice is brought to the perpetrators.
He added that anyone proven to be involved or responsible for negligence in providing necessary health care to Mariam during her residence at the hospital will be held accountable.
The ministry expressed its deep condolences to the family of Mariam who was studying engineering in the UK and was assaulted by 10 British girls inside the UK city of Nottingham.
Public attention to the case first came when Mariam’s mother said in a video statement in early March that her daughter was subjected to cruel assault from ten British girls of African descent.
She added that the reasons for the assault were not clear, noting that the incident took place four months earlier. She suspected racism may have been the motivation, noting that her daughter was assaulted in a crowded street.
She added: “My daughter managed to escape from the girls and tried to hide in one of the buses, but the girls continued beating her until she lost consciousness. The bus driver called the ambulance,” explaining that “the British police have not arrested the girls so far.”
Recently, the ministry said that the local police authorities in the city of Nottingham arrested one of the suspects. It added that the Egyptian embassy is continuing to follow up on the legal situation and demands that the local authorities deal seriously with the deadly incident.
The statement went on to say that CCTV footage from bus caught part of the attack.
Mariam’s mother clarified in the video statement that her daughter “is now detained in a hospital struggling to die, because of the ferocity of the attack.”
The video was broadcast on the privately-run TV channel Dream at that time.
