A new incident has drawn attention to the conditions of detainees in Egyptian detention facilities and the dangers they face from medical neglect. Paediatrician Atef Zaghloul has died while being held in pre-trial detention, suffering from illness and deprived of the necessary medical care during a critical health condition.
Dr Atef Mahmoud Zaghloul, aged 52, died in Abu Kabir Police Centre in Sharqia Governorate after his health deteriorated sharply. He was denied adequate medical attention despite suffering from chronic illnesses and having previously undergone cardiac surgery to insert stents.
During his detention, his health deteriorated progressively amid repeated neglect of his requests for appropriate treatment or referral for necessary medical reasons. Two days before his death, he was transferred to Abu Kabir Central Hospital, but medical staff were unable to save his life. This incident reflects the ongoing problem of medical neglect within detention facilities.
The denial of essential medical care to detainees is a flagrant violation of the right to life, as enshrined in Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which obliges states to treat prisoners humanely and to provide them with adequate medical care equivalent to that available outside prison.
Keeping a sick person in an environment unsuitable for medical treatment, despite the authorities’ awareness of the seriousness of his condition, amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment prohibited under international law.
This case highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to detention conditions, ensuring independent oversight of the level of medical care provided, and activating effective mechanisms for providing assistance without delay.
Such neglect inevitably leads to the death or deterioration of detainees’ health, particularly those suffering from chronic illnesses or critical conditions.
