The Committee for Justice (CFJ) reported, based on information from the mother of human rights activist and translator Marwa Ashraf Mohamed Mohamed Arafa, who has been detained for more than five years in connection with case No. 570 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), that her daughter’s health had seriously deteriorated. During a family visit on 16 August 2025, her mother observed that Marwa appeared in extremely poor condition; suffering from exhaustion, unable to move independently, and struggling to breathe.
Marwa’s mother, Wafaa, revealed that on 13 August 2025 her daughter had suffered a health crisis and was transferred to the prison hospital. There, she was diagnosed with a pulmonary artery thrombosis in the heart, a very high fever, a drop in hemoglobin levels, and numbness in the upper part of her body. After spending one night in the prison hospital without effective treatment, she was returned to her cell. Her mother requested to provide medicines as well as an oxygen and blood pressure monitor.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution refused to accept her lawyer’s petition to transfer Marwa from Al-Ashir min Ramadan Prison 4 to a hospital after her condition deteriorated. The prosecution justified the rejection on the grounds that her case is currently before a court, which has sole jurisdiction over the status of detainees.
Her lawyer stated that the defense team is currently preparing an official complaint about her health condition to be submitted to the Office of the Public Prosecutor, demanding that she be transferred to a specialized hospital. He stressed that the International Cooperation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office is responsible for overseeing prisoners’ welfare, even if their cases are being heard by the courts.
The lawyer of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) also resubmitted the request to the Public Prosecutor through the Prosecutor General’s online platform, where it was registered as request no. 1324253. The defense team additionally filed a request with the Public Prosecution for an exceptional visit permit for Marwa’s family and lawyers, registered as permit no. 333. On 20 August 2025, the defense filed another petition with the Community Protection Sector (formerly the Prisons Authority), registered under no. 8/849, demanding Marwa’s immediate transfer to the Badr Medical Complex, which is supposedly equipped to deal with her condition.
In December 2024, the State Security Prosecution referred Marwa Arafa to trial alongside 39 other defendants in case no. 1018 of 2024, on charges that included “joining a terrorist organization” and “financing terrorism.”
CFJ held the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, the Prisons Authority, and the Public Prosecution fully responsible for the deterioration of Marwa Arafa’s health. The organization stated that ongoing medical neglect had caused her pulmonary artery thrombosis and dangerous health decline and called for her immediate release given her critical health condition and the inhumane detention circumstances.
CFJ emphasized that under the Egyptian Prison Regulations, the authorities are required to provide detainees with medical care appropriate to their condition, and to ensure treatment in cases of illness or injury. Article 40 of the regulations stipulates that specialized doctors must provide care inside prisons, and if this is not possible, the detainee must be transferred to an external hospital. In addition, Egypt is bound by international laws concerning prisoners’ rights, such as the Nelson Mandela Rules for the treatment of prisoners, which guarantee the right of prisoners to adequate healthcare.
