CAIRO, 18 December 2005 — Detained Egyptian opposition figure Ayman Nour was rushed to a prison hospital in serious condition yesterday, eight days after he began a hunger strike, his lawyer said. “He has been transferred to the Mazra Tura prison hospital,” Amir Salem said. “He is in serious condition,” Salem added.
Nour’s lawyers had requested the prison authorities to transfer him to a hospital after a doctor examined him and certified that his condition was life-threatening, according to his wife, Gamila Ismail.
“The doctor found that he had an unusually high level of acetone in his blood and urine,” Salem said. Prison authorities, he said, also agreed Nour could be examined by a specialist from outside the prison system.
Earlier, Egypt’s leading rights group called for Nur’s release, saying his health had deteriorated considerably since he began a hunger strike.
“The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) demands the immediate release of Ghad party leader and former MP Ayman Nour in view of his poor health,” the group said. Nour, the runner-up in the September presidential election, was detained on Dec. 5 pending a verdict in his trial on forgery charges related to his registering Ghad.
The EOHR said Nour was suffering from multiple ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems.
