NGO: Morsi’s life at risk due to medical negligence

Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s life is at risk due to medical negligence by prison authorities, the Arab Organisation of Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) warned today.

Morsi’s family have spoken of the harsh conditions of his detention which the report deems “inappropriate for his age and health”. His son further told the NGO that Mazraat Tora Prison, where the former president is being held in solitary confinement, has refused to provide the food and medication needed to treat his diabetes.

“He is also suffering from back and neck pain which makes it necessary for him to be in a room with a special bed and at certain room temperatures otherwise he will suffer a slipped disc. Also, because of the poor detention conditions he suffered a weakness in his left eye, as a result of complete medical neglect.”

Authorities are refusing to allow his family or defence team to visit him and complaints about his maltreatment have repeatedly been disregarded.

Last week, Morsi pleaded in court to be taken to hospital immediately citing the immense deterioration of his health; his request was denied. He has also lost sight in his left eye due to his diabetes being left untreated.

Read: Morsi tells lawyer of threats to his life

Since Morsi’s detention in 2013, he has been subject to forced disappearances and prevented from meeting anyone except on two occasions. Whilst he has been sentenced to over 45 years for allegedly spying for Qatar and “killing protestors”, he continues to be tried for numerous other cases.

The former president faces a raft of additional charges, ranging from “jailbreak” to “espionage”.

Morsi, along with a host of co-defendants, has consistently denied the charges against him, while many independent observers say the accusations are politically motivated.

A leader of Egypt’s now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group, Morsi became the country’s first-ever freely-elected president in mid-2012.

One year later, however, he was ousted by Egypt’s military, which killed hundreds of his supporters and threw tens of thousands behind bars.

AOHR called upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Rapporteurs on arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance to intervene urgently with the Egyptian authorities to put a stop to the human rights violations against Morsi and all political prisoners.

Read: Egyptian court postpones Morsi’s trial to 3 December