Shaimaa al-Sabbagh
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Human rights activist
Shaimaa al-Sabbagh | |
|---|---|
شيماء الصباغ | |
 | |
| Born | 1984 |
| Died | January 24, 2015 |
Cause of death | Shot by police |
| Occupations | Poet Human rights activist |
| Years active | 2011–2015 |
Political party | Socialist Popular Alliance Party |
| Spouse | Osama el-Sahli |
| Children | 1 |
Shaimaa al-Sabbagh (Arabic: شيماء الصباغ; January 1984 – 24 January 2015) was an Egyptian poet and human rights activist. A prominent member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, she participated in demonstrations during and after the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Al-Sabbagh was killed during a demonstration to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the revolution in 2015, which led to her being given the title Martyr of the Rose (شهيدة الورد, Shahīdat al-Ward) among activists and reformers.
Al-Sabbagh was born and raised in the Gheit el-Saidi neighbourhood of Alexandria. She was married to Osama el-Sahli, a professor, with whom she had a son, Bilal.[1][2][3] Al-Sabbagh had studied folklore, primarily the traditions of villages along the Nile.[4] She wrote poetry, primarily in Egyptian Arabic, that commented on her daily life but also the social and political situation in Egypt, particularly following the 2011 revolution.[5][2]
Al-Sabbagh was a member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, a leftist party that had been established shortly after the revolution.[2][6] Through the party, she participated in many protests and demonstrations calling for reform in Egypt, becoming one of the party's most prominent members. In 2014, al-Sabbagh had co-founded the Workers' Bloc (الكتلة العمالية, al-Kutlah al-ʻUmmālīyah), which advocated for workers in Alexandira, particularly around political participation both as voters and candidates.[7] She also advocated for the rights of street children and people living in slums in Alexandria.[3]
Death
On 24 January 2015, Sabbagh travelled to Cairo to meet with other members of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party at its headquarters. The group of around 40 activists planned to lead a march to Tahrir Square, the location of the outbreak of the 2011 revolution, to commemorate the fourth anniversary the end of the regime of the former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, as well as to remember those killed during the revolution itself by laying wreaths.[2][8][9] The actual anniversary of the revolution was the following day; however, the party decided not to do the march on the anniversary itself, due to worries about retaliation from the State anti demonstration forces, as the government who had announced that commemorations would be limited as a "mark of respect" for the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who had died on 23 January.[3][10]
The march started at party's headquarters; it quickly reached Talaat Harb Street, where entry to Tahrir Square was blocked off by the local police for Qasr El Nil. Tear gas and birdshots were quickly used to disperse the demonstration around ten minutes after it started.[6][3] Al-Sabbagh, who was unnarmed, was hit in the back with a birdshot fired from around eight metres away.[2][11] She collapsed into the arms of her friend and fellow activist Sayyed Abu el-Ela, who carried her to a sidewalk; her body was shortly afterwards placed on chairs outside of a nearby café. Activists attempted to get medical attention for al-Sabbagh, with an ambulance reportedly being prevented from being able to reach her by police, while her fellow marchers were arrested, leaving her body alone outside the café. A doctor at the café offered support but stated that she had died; an anonymous driver in the area, reported by some in the Egyptian media to be linked to the police, transported al-Sabbagh's body to the Cairo Kidney Centre, where it was left in a wheelchair. Al-Sabbagh was formally pronounced dead by doctors at the hospital.[2][3][11][12][13][14]