How one gay Egyptian woman stood up to homophobia and paid the ultimate price

By Sarah El Sirgany

(CNN) In 2017, Sarah Hegazi was arrested and said she was tortured for waving a rainbow gay pride flag at a concert in Cairo. Last weekend, the 30-year-old died by suicide in Canada.

Hegazi's friends reported her death, circulated a suicide note and shared an outpouring of messages of solidarity, grief and anger. Their mourning was soon hijacked by hateful messages. 

On social media, posts about Hegazi that ended with the traditional condolences, "May God Have Mercy on her," were followed by comments saying "she is not worthy of His Mercy," and a torrent of expletives targeting her sexuality. 

These bitter exchanges echoed a long-running clash between Egyptian progressives and conservatives that haunted Hegazi's life. She was a software developer, a "feminist, interested in politics and a queer activist," fellow LGBTQ activist and friend Malak Elkashif told CNN from Cairo. 

By waving the flag, Hegazi became an icon for the gay community and a target for state violence.

Analysts say that Egypt's government often enforces conservative values by imprisoning, torturing and silencing women, members of the LGBTQ community and other citizens who don't conform to its social norms.

Earlier this year, Egypt told the UN Human Rights Council it has "vowed to safeguard human rights, ensuring equal rights and opportunities to all citizens without discrimination," and it has "thoroughly" investigated all "individual" cases of torture. 

After conservatives criticized and filed complaints against two women for posting dancing and lip synching videos on TikTok that got hundreds of thousands of views, authorities last week charged them with the vaguely worded crime of "violating family principles and values."  Read more via CNN

A day before her death, Hegazi posted a picture of herself lying on green grass under a bright blue sky. "The sky is more beautiful than earth, and I want the sky, not earth," she wrote. Hamed Sinno, Mashrou' Leila's lead singer, put these words to music in a video tribute.