(AFP Photos)
Hanaa Soltan, sister of detainee on hunger strike Mohamed Soltan said on Tuesday that her brother was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Al-Qasr Al-Eini Hospital.
Activist group Freedom for the Brave shared on its social media account a picture of Soltan’s medical report signed by a physician called Hanaa Galal. In the post the group claimed that although the physician recommended that Soltan should remain under observation at the hospital, the Ministry of Interior had denied.
When reached for comment, Al-Qasr Al-Ainy hospital denied that Soltan was a patient and said that the physician who signed his report on Monday was not listed. Meanwhile the interior ministry spokesman was not available for comment.
The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) had expressed its concern in a statement on Monday, about the deteriorating health condition of Al Jazeera correspondent Abdullah Elshamy and fixer Mohamed Soltan currently in detention.
The organisation called on the Prosecutor General to order a medical examination for the pair.
The EOHR, which cited the personal physician of Soltan and Elshamy, also requested documentation stating the reason for their deteriorating health condition.
The statement said that Elshamy is suffering from anaemia, low blood sugar level, low pressure and signs of kidney failure.
Meanwhile Soltan is currently only able to move with the help of a wheelchair. His blood sugar level reached 59 – the normal level of a fasting human being ranges from 80 to 110. The report added that Soltan has developed a blue rash that has spread all over his body, indicating internal bleeding in the gut and the brain.
EOHR chairman Hafez Abu Saeda, who has called for the journalists’ release, said, “The right of life is one of the basic rights of a human being and the state is required to protect it.”
Elshamy was arrested during his coverage for Qatar-based Al Jazeera Channel of the forcible dispersal of Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square. Soltan was arrested at home by security forces who were searching for his father Salah Soltan, a prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. The pair have been held in detention since August.
Elshamy and Soltan’s hunger strike started over 130 days ago in protest of their detention. Elshamy has yet to be referred to court and is imprisoned in Al-Aqrab maximum security prison.
Secular activists and human rights defenders have shown solidarity for all detainees regardless of their political affiliation, calling for their release and demanding “proper healthcare” for those on hunger strike.
The Ministry of Interior has denied that there are detainees on hunger strike and that the health condition of Elshamy and Soltan is stable.
