The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

After six months of hunger strike: American citizen dies in Egyptian prison - Walla! news

2020-01-15T11:11:16.303Z


Mustafa Kassem, 54, was arrested while exchanging money in Cairo during a 2013 Morsi protest. He was convicted in mass trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison, trying to pressure the Trump administration to help ...


After six months of hunger strike: American citizen dies in Egyptian prison

Mustafa Kassem, 54, was arrested while exchanging money in Cairo during a 2013 Morsi protest. He was convicted in mass trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison, trying to pressure the Trump administration to help his release. He stopped drinking a week ago and died of cardiac arrest. "Unnecessary and tragic death," they said in Washington

After six months of hunger strike: American citizen dies in Egyptian prison

Photo: Reuters

An American citizen died in prison in Egypt about six months after launching a hunger strike - Washington State Department said Tuesday. Mustafa Kassem, 54, claimed he was jailed on false charges. His lawyers said Kassem, a native of Egypt who sold car parts in New York, died of a heart attack due to the hunger strike.

"His death in custody was unnecessary, tragic and could have been prevented," Middle East Foreign Minister David Shankar said. "I will continue to raise our serious concerns about the human rights and American detainees in Egypt at every opportunity." The attorney general ordered the body analysis and investigation of Qassam's medical condition, confirming that he had been transferred from the prison to Cairo University Hospital.

Qassam visited his family in Cairo in August 2013. His lawyers say he was inadvertently arrested during a raid by security forces over ousted President Muhammad Morsi, who ended the massacre of hundreds of protesters. He was exchanging money at a mall near Rabia Square when police arrested him and asked for his ID. When he presented his American passport, police began beating him and he was arrested. He was remanded in custody for five years before being indicted.

More in Walla! NEWS

In solitary confinement, without medical treatment: From the prison where Morsi was kept alive for about two months after his father: Morsi's young son dies at 25 Know the star method for laser hair removal - with confidence, efficacy and long-term content

Drink only vegetable juice. Mustafa Kassem

Mustafa Kassem, an American citizen who died in a prison in Egypt (Photo: Untitled)

In 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison after the mass trial of 700 defendants, who was denounced by human rights organizations. Then, he refused to eat except vegetable juice, and last week he even stopped drinking.

Qassam has called on the U.S. government to help him after President Donald Trump secured the release of Egyptian-American human rights activist Ayah Hijazi, who was jailed for three years for false allegations. Vice President Mike Pence raised the issue last year with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi.

More in Walla! NEWS More in Walla! NEWS

Everyone was silent: when Trump called Sissy "my favorite dictator"

To the full article

Failed to bring about his release. Trump and Asisi, last year (Photo: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi at the edge of the G7,26 summit in August 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

A-Sisi came to power in the summer where Kassam was arrested and utterly oppressed him, with thousands imprisoned. Human rights groups accuse Egyptian authorities of detaining suspects without evidence, denying access to lawyers and fair chance of appeal. Kassam's case is reminiscent of Morsi himself, the first democratically elected Egyptian president who died last year while discussing a Cairo courtroom. American experts have recently said his "brutal" conditions, such as preventing proper treatment of his closure, have contributed to Morsi's death.

Source: walla

All news articles on 2020-01-15

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.