Egypt: health of former presidential candidate deteriorates in prison

The health of a former presidential candidate in Egypt is deteriorating badly in the notorious Tora Prison, his son announced on Tuesday. Dr Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh is serving fifteen years in prison after being arrested in 2018 a day after returning from London, where he criticised the regime of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during an interview with Al Jazeera.

“My father is suffering from a critical health crisis due to the extreme hot weather,” his son Hothaifa was reported as saying by Ikhwanonline.com. “I do not have any information about the nature of the health conditions of my father and how he is doing now.”

This is not the first time that Aboul Fotouh’s health has deteriorated in prison. According to the news website, he had serious chest pains last year after being beaten by a prison guard.

The 71-year-old head of the Strong Egypt Party has several chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, a hernia and kidney and bladder stones. Most of these started in prison as a result of torture and the lack of adequate medical care, added his son.

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