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WORLD NEWS Thursday 27 sepTember 2018

Egypt prosecutors probing monk's death in desert monastery

By HAMZA HENDAWI The church statement said
Associated Press Zeinoun was transferred to
CAIRO (AP) — In an inci- al-Muharraq monastery fol-
dent that brought the woes lowing Epiphanius' death.
of one of the world's oldest That suggested the monk
churches back under the may have been involved in
spotlight, Egypt's Coptic a now-publicized disciplin-
Orthodox Church said on ary dispute between the
Wednesday that prosecu- abbot and several monks
tors are investigating the at St. Macarious, which re-
death of a monk who had quired the intervention of
until recently served in a the spiritual leader of the
monastery northwest of church, Pope Tawadros II.
Cairo where the abbot was The security officials said
killed in July. Zeinoun's name also came
Two monks — one of whom up as a possible accom-
has been defrocked — are plice in the abbot's killing
on trial for the death of the during lengthy questioning
abbot, Bishop Epiphanius. of witnesses by prosecutors.
The trial opened Sunday Zeinoun was one of six
and was scheduled to re- monks transferred out of
sume Thursday when, ac- In this Feb. 5, 2013 file photo, clergymen walk through the gate of the historic al-Muharraq Mon- St. Macarious monastery
cording to security officials, astery, a centuries-old site in the province of Assiut, Egypt. as part of efforts to instill
the deceased monk was to Associated Press greater discipline. At the
give his testimony. time, the church slapped
The monk, identified by The monk's death was an- suicide. An initial examina- tight security in a hospital a yearlong suspension
the church by his monastic nounced in a brief state- tion of the body suggested in Assiut, the nearest city on the admission of nov-
name Zeinoun al-Maqari, ment issued by the Coptic that poisoning might have to Al-Muharraq monastery ices, threatened to expel
was the "confessional fa- Orthodox Church. It said been the cause of death, where the monk served monks found to have es-
ther" of one of the monks the cause of his death at they said. since August. The monas- tablished "illegal" monas-
on trial, said the officials, the al-Muharraq monastery A full autopsy to determine tery was also sealed off by teries and gave monks a
who spoke on condition of in southern Egypt remained the cause of death was police and security officers month to shut down social
anonymity because they unknown. However, secu- due to be performed, they who were reviewing foot- media accounts. It also for-
were not authorized to brief rity and medical officials said. age from its security cam- bade unauthorized media
the media. said they could not rule out The body was kept under eras. interviews.q

Romanian ex-prison chief sentenced to 20 years dies in jail

ALISON MUTLER mination through exhaust-
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) ing work, hunger and physi-
— Ion Ficior, who was incar- cal torture," said Muraru,
cerated for the deaths of now an adviser to President
103 political inmates while Klaus Iohannis.
in charge of a communist- Ficior was commander at
era labor camp in Roma- the Periprava labor camp
nia, has died. He was 90. from 1958 to 1963. During
Ficior died Wednesday at his trial, former detainees
Jilava prison hospital, ac- accused him of beatings, a
cording to Bianca Filote, lack of food and medicine,
spokeswoman for the gov- overwork and unheated
ernment Institute for In- cells. In an interview with
vestigating the Crimes of the AP in 2013 before he
Communism. The institute was charged with more
began to pursue Ficior and than 100 deaths, Ficior
other former prison guards claimed "two or three had
in 2013 in a bid to make died" while he was prison
them finally accountable commander.
for wrongdoing during the Romania had about
communist era, handing 500,000 political prisoners
over evidence to prosecu- under the Communist re-
tors. In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, file picture, Ion Ficior, former commander of the Periprava communist gime, about one-fifth of
Prison hospital spokeswom- labor camp, waits for registration at the general prosecutors office in Bucharest, Romania. whom died while in deten-
an Denisa Ene confirmed to Associated Press tion, according to histo-
The Associated Press that a rians. Many were locked
prisoner, suffering various Ficior was serving a 20-year lowing orders. dured prolonged suffering, up for merely falling afoul
chronic medical condi- sentence there for crimes But Andrei Muraru, who were skeletal inmates, or of the communist regime.
tions, had died Wednesday against humanity. He was initiated the investigation defenseless elderly peo- A general amnesty was
morning, but declined to imprisoned in March 2017, of Ficior, said he "showed ple," he told the AP. granted to political prison-
provide further details, cit- but denied wrongdoing a complete lack of mercy "They were subjected to a ers in 1964.
ing privacy rules. and said he was merely fol- toward his victims, who en- diabolic program of exter- Ficior is survived by a son.q