The case of seven-year-old Aysel, who was killed in a swimming pool incident in Ain Sokhna in 2023, has resurfaced after a lower criminal court sentenced the accused, also a minor, to 15 years in prison.
Aysel had been on a family vacation on 17 August 2023 when the incident occurred. According to Aysel’s mother, she briefly stepped away for about a minute to take her younger daughter to the bathroom.
During that moment, Aysel, who had been playing in the pool with a friend, was pulled underwater by the accused and sexually assaulted, causing her to have a heart attack and lose consciousness. The prosecution later charged him with assaulting and killing the child.
In her public statement following the verdict, Aysel’s mother described her daughter as bright, ambitious, and deeply loved, an exceptional student who dreamed of studying medicine in Germany and opening a medical center to help those in need. She said the loss had devastated the family and “turned their lives into a nightmare.”
She also appealed to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and relevant authorities to review Egypt’s juvenile law, calling for stricter penalties in cases involving violence against children. “I pray no child ever has to endure such a tragedy,” she wrote, urging reforms to better protect minors.
Article 111 of Egypt’s Child Law (Law No. 12 of 1996, amended by Law No. 126 of 2008) stipulates that minors cannot receive the death penalty, life imprisonment, or aggravated imprisonment. The law explicitly states that no such sentence may be imposed on an offender who had not reached 18 years of age at the time the crime was committed.
Aysel’s family continues to call for legislative change as the case rekindles a wider conversation about child protection and accountability in Egypt.
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