Press release
Geneva – May 19, 2024
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has monitored a new death of a political detainee in Egypt due to poor detention conditions and deliberate medical neglect by Egyptian authorities.
The incident occurred on Saturday, May 18, 2024, and involved Hesham Mohamed Ahmed Radwan, a mathematics teacher from Mallawi in Minya governorate, who had been held on political charges since 2016.
CFJ condemned the Egyptian authorities’ disregard for the lives of political detainees, asserting that such practices are systematic, deliberate, and constitute political persecution. These actions are criminal under Egyptian law and violate
international treaties and conventions to which Egypt is a signatory, particularly those related to the rights of individuals deprived of their liberty.
CFJ has called for an impartial, transparent, and prompt investigation into the circumstances surrounding Radwan’s death. They demand accountability for those responsible for the dire living conditions and intentional medical neglect, ensuring they do not escape punishment.
This latest death brings the total number of detainee deaths recorded by CFJ in Egyptian prisons and detention centers in 2024 to 18. The previous death was that of political detainee Zehri Ibrahim Abdel Karim El-Khouli, aged 58, from Delga village in Deir Mawas, Minya governorate. El-Khouli, who had been detained since June 6, 2017, died on Saturday, May 11, 2024, also due to poor detention conditions and medical neglect.