The Egyptian prisoner of conscience, Mahmoud Ahmed Mohamed Othman, otherwise known as Mahmoud Othman al-Labban, 65-years-old, has died inside Burj al-Arab Prison due to medical neglect.
At his last court appearance, Othman, from Raml, in the Alexandria Governorate, was suffering from severe fatigue and weight loss. Raml was diabetic.
Two weeks ago, another detainee, Ahmed Yassin, died in Gamasa Prison after suffering a heart attack.
And, a day before, the death of detainee Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Hamad, 70-years-old, was announced. Hamad died after being transferred to Minya Prison’s clinic due to a deterioration of his health.
In the same period, Yasser Farouk al-Mahlawi died whilst detained in Mazraat Tora Prison, after over two and a half years of arbitrary detention. Al-Mahlawi had suffered from various illnesses from the time of his arrest in August 2019.
Al-Labaan is the fourth detainee to die in Egyptian prisons since the start of July, and the 18th since the beginning of this year.
Prisoners of conscience suffer from medical negligence across the Egyptian prison system, which in general does not meet international standards for places of detention. Massive overcrowding, malnutrition, lack of ventilation, lighting, and hygiene – including insect infestation – are common.
