Egypt’s state newspaper calls out president in critical column following protester’s death

CAIRO – In an unusually critical column, the chairman of Egypt’s state-run daily Al-Ahram newspaper has specifically called out the country’s president as being responsible for protecting the public after the shooting death of a protester.

The front-page piece by Ahmed Sayed el-Naggar, published Monday, focused on the killing of Shaimaa el-Sabbagh, shot dead Saturday on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Witness testimony and online video strongly suggest police shot the woman dead. Authorities say they are investigating.

The editorial blamed overzealous police, empowered by wide-ranging laws criminalizing protests, for killing the protester. It also said finding justice after el-Sabbagh’s death primarily “rests on the shoulders” of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a rare, direct criticism of a man largely lionized in Egyptian media.