Thu 13 August 2020:
A senior leader of Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group died of a heart attack on Thursday in a Cairo prison where he had been serving a 25-year sentence, his lawyer said.
Essam el-Erian, who was sentenced to several life sentences following the military coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, died at the age of 66.
El-Erian had been moved to a prison hospital after suffering a heart attack and died during treatment, two prison sources told Reuters news agency.
“We were informed of his death by prison authorities … they told us the death was natural,” a lawyer representing the Muslim Brotherhood, Abdel Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud, said in a statement to local media.
He said he received a call on Wednesday from the prison authority informing him of el-Erian’s death.
“I don’t know whether he died in prison or in hospital,” he told Anadolu news agency. “I informed his family of his death to start the funeral procedures.”
According to Abdul-Maqsoud, he and el-Erian’s family have not been able to see him for about six months after the authorities suspended visits to prisons, claiming a precautionary measure to combat the coronavirus.
El-Erian had complained in previous court sessions of being prevented from treatment and being subjected to medical negligence. Egypt’s public prosecutor had no immediate comment.
Relatives of other high-profile Islamist prisoners at Tora had previously raised concerns about their health, saying they were being held in poor conditions without adequate healthcare. Egyptian authorities have denied mistreating prisoners or neglecting their health.
The Brotherhood leader also said in previous statements he had contracted Hepatitis C inside the prison, and the National Security Agency had objected to his treatment.
He was arrested after then-defence minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi overthrew the late president Morsi in July 2013.
He was later sentenced to several life sentences for being part of demonstrations against the decision to overthrow Morsi, who also died in prison.
