Push for brutal killer to be executed on live TV

A man who murdered his university classmate after she rejected his romantic advances could have his execution broadcast in front of a national audience.

A student who stabbed his classmate to death in broad daylight after she refused his marriage proposal should be executed on live TV, a judge in Egypt has said.

The gruesome murder of 21-year-old Naira Ashraf outside her university in northern Egypt by Mohamed Adel, 21, sent shockwaves across the country last month, The Sun reports.

Adel was found guilty of murdering the student outside the Mansoura University, and on July 6 the court sentenced him to death.

Naira Ashraf was brutally murdered in broad daylight. Picture: Australscope/CEN

The horrifying killing was captured on CCTV. Picture: Australscope/CEN

Now in an extraordinary move, the Egyptian court has asked parliament for the hanging of the killer to be broadcast live on TV – in part to deter similar crimes from happening in the future.

In its letter to MPs, Mansoura Courthouse wrote: “The broadcast, even if only part of the start of proceedings, could achieve the goal of deterrence, which was not achieved by broadcasting the sentencing itself.”

The verdict, which may be appealed, was made public on July 24.

The defendant’s lawyer Farid El-Deeb said his client would appeal the sentence.

“We still have 60 days to challenge death sentence against Adel,” he reportedly said.

Mr El-Deeb is a prominent lawyer in Egypt. He was late ex-president Hosni Mubarak’s lead defence lawyer.

Mohamed Adel has been sentenced to death. Picture: Australscope/CEN

The horrific June 20 attack was captured on CCTV.

In the footage, Adel is seen punching Ms Ashraf in the head as she gets off a bus to attend uni to sit her final exams.

As she falls to the ground, he jumps on her, repeatedly stabbing her in the neck.

Ms Ashraf died when her throat was cut, with passers-by seizing Adel as he tried to flee the scene.

It later emerged Adel had stalked Ms Ashraf on Facebook and had resolved to kill her after she ghosted him on the social platform and refused to marry him.

Ms Ashraf had reportedly rejected romantic advances from Adel. Picture: Australscope/CEN

The last time a capital punishment was aired on public TV in Egypt was in 1998, when state television broadcast the execution of three men who were found guilty of killing a woman and her two children at their home in the capital, Cairo.

In Egypt, the method of execution for civilian convictions is hanging.

In recent months, high-profile femicides across Egypt have stirred up a great deal of rage.

Patriarchal laws and, in some communities, strict interpretations of Islam have made it difficult for women to exercise their rights.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Push for brutal killer to be executed on live TV