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Egypt: CFJ documents third death in custody in May

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Press release

By: Committee for Justice

Geneva: May 22, 2023

 

The Committee for Justice has documented the 12th death case in 2023, the third in May only, of a detainee inside a detention center in Egypt, Ashraf Abdel-Alim El-Sayed (55 years old), General Manager of Misr Insurance Company, who died in Al-Qanater 1 prison in the city of Al-Qanater Al-Khairiya, Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, due to medical neglect and poor prison conditions.

 

Medical negligence and poor detention conditions:

 

According to CFJ, the deceased detainee, Ashraf Abdel-Alim El-Sayed (55 years old), general manager at Misr Insurance Company, had been detained pending a political case since April 2022. El-Sayed died on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

 

CFJ reported that El-Sayed was suffering from hepatitis, and due to the lack of healthcare provided to him, because of the insufficient resources of Al-Qanater Prison Hospital—the oldest prison in Egypt—and the dire detention conditions, his health deteriorated, leading to his death.

 

Twelfth death in 2023:

With his death, the number of deaths in custody in Egypt, as documented by CFJ, since the beginning of 2023, has risen to 12 cases. The most recent cases include the deaths of two political detainees: Sameh Mohamed Ahmed Mansour, who died as a result of medical negligence in the intensive care unit of Badr Correctional and Rehabilitation Center Hospital, and Madian Ibrahim Mohamed Hassanein, also known as Sheikh Madian Hassanein (63 years old), an imam, preacher, and religious advocate who held a leadership position in the “Ansar al-Sharia Battalions” organization, passed away on Sunday at Assiut Hospital during his treatment.

 

Demands for an investigation:

 

CFJ holds the Egyptian authorities, specifically the Ministry of Interior and the Prisons Authority, responsible for these death cases. The organisation demands a transparent, effective, and impartial investigation into the incident, identifying those responsible and holding them accountable with appropriate punishment.

CFJ also urges the Egyptian authorities to adhere to international standards regarding detention conditions, ensuring immediate and regular access to any medical assistance the detainees may require.

Accurate information about death cases during detention in Egypt can be obtained through the Justice Watch Archive service provided by CFJ, which contains information about more than 14,000 victims and over 30,000 violations. It also monitors violations inside more than 500 places of detention in Egypt.

For more information and media requests or inquiries, please get in touch with us (+41229403538 / media@cfjustice.org)

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