Egypt’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva on Tuesday urged the British and German authorities to continue investigations into the deaths of Egyptian nationals Mariam Mostafa Abdel-Salam and Shaden El-Gohary respectively, condemning what he described as the “rising racist speech against minorities and immigrants in Europe, especially against Arabs, Muslims and those from African origins.”

In a speech to the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Alaa Youssef called on authorities in the two countries to bear the responsibility of revealing the complete truth behind the incidents and bringing the perpetrators to justice. 

Mariam Mostafa Abdel-Salam, an 18-year-old Egyptian student who was living in Nottingham died last week, three weeks after she was assaulted and beaten by a group of girls outside a shopping mall on 20 February. She was initially treated in hospital for injuries from the assault, and then released.

An initial post-mortem was inconclusive and more tests are being carried out, British authorities have said.

A 17-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the attack, and subsequently released on bail pending investigations.

Shaden El-Gohary, 22, a student at the German University in Cairo, died in Cottbus in Germany in April last year, three days after being hit by a car.

German authorities subsequently opened an investigation into her death, and into reports that she was racially abused by a passenger in the car after she was hit.

Egyptian authorities have repeatedly called for investigation into the two incidents.