493 prisoners died in Egyptian jails

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights (AOHR) based in London has warned of the continuous official Egyptian negligence to the heat wave which has struck the country and had a detrimental effect on prisoners, Quds Press reported yesterday.

The organisation said that the Egyptian authorities do not take any measures to improve the situation of the prisoners who are being held without even their basic humanitarian needs being met, this is exacerbated during the summer.

AOHR called on the international community and UN bodies to immediately move to save the lives of thousands of prisoners, “a large number of whom suffer from dangerous diseases.”

One prisoner, Hassan Mohamed Hassan, 54, died in a police station in Al-Menya Governorate on Tuesday, the organisation said, because he did not have access to proper healthcare. Hassan suffered from a number of chronic diseases and requested medical help but this was not provided.

The number of prisoners who have died in Egyptian prisons since the military coup on 3 July 2013 has now reached 493, the group said, including 205 who died during the summer months.