Activist Ahmed Douma’s health worsens in prison

Activist Ahmed Douma's health condition is deteriorating, according to his wife Nouran Hefzy.

Hefzy commented on Facebook that her husband cannot endure prison in his condition and that the appeal process may take more than a year before he is released.

According to Hefzy, activist Ahmed Maher said during a visit Sunday that Douma has not seen a doctor and that his requested transfer to the prison hospital was denied. She added that Douma is suffering from severe abdominal pain caused by a viral infection that only a few doctors in Egypt can diagnose and cure, in addition to digestive problems as a result of tear gas exposure over the last three years.

Presidential candidate and head of the Popular Current Party tweeted, “It is the state's responsibility to protect Douma's life and the lives of all young revolutionaries behind bars, and Tora Prison's refusal to transfer Douma to the hospital needs to be investigated.”

A number of Facebook and Twitter users launched a hashtag campaign titled “Doma in danger,” calling for his immediate transfer to the prison's hospital.  

On December 3, 2013, Douma was arrested following a protest organized by the No Military Trials for Civilians campaign in defiance of the new Protest Law. He was sentenced on December 22, with Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel, to three years in prison with hard labor and a fine of LE50,000 for his participation in illegal protests.