Family visiting imprisoned relative discover authorities failed to inform them of his death

When the family of Tamer Fikry Gamal Eddin, 50, went on Sunday to visit him at Minya Prison, where he was serving a 10-year sentence, they were informed that he had passed away the previous week.

Prison authorities had not informed his family and had sent his body to a hospital without their knowledge, lawyer Ahmed Helmy, who acted on behalf of the family, told Mada Masr. 

It is not uncommon for inmates to die in detention facilities without authorities reaching out to inform families, several lawyers told Mada Masr. 

In a similar incident at Minya Prison in early February, said lawyer Khaled al-Masry, the family of a prisoner named Mohamed Abdel Hamid were not informed of his death, only learning of his passing nine days later when they went to visit him.

A number of similar incidents have taken place over the past two years, said lawyer Ahmed al-Attar, writing in a social media post that prison authorities have a legal responsibility to ensure families are informed if prisoners are terminally ill or in the case of their death.

If the family is unable to come to the prison within 24 hours of an inmate’s death, prison authorities are legally obliged to transfer the body to the closest facility equipped to preserve the body. In the case of terminal illness, the family must be informed immediately and allowed to visit the prisoner.

The family of Gamal Eddin was eventually able to complete the burial procedures on Sunday, said Helmy.

Gamal Eddin had worked as a merchant and served as an imam at a mosque in his Giza neighborhood prior to his 2018 conviction before a military court on terrorism charges in a case related to a group that was accused of using arms and explosive devices to kill police officers and damage properties in several areas in Giza in 2015 and 2016. 

Besides the legality, Helmy called the Minya prison authorities’ behavior “inappropriate and inhumane,” adding that he does not believe prison staff will face any consequences for failing to inform Gamal Eddin’s family.

Multiple deaths in prisons or at detention facilities have been recorded over recent years, in many cases resulting from suspected medical negligence on the part of prison authorities, who have been described by sources as being slow to respond to prisoners’ requests for medical attention or to transfer prisoners to hospitals outside of prisons for specialist care.

In June 2019, following the death in prison of former President Mohamed Morsi, ten rights organizations demanded that “the International Committee of the Red Cross be given access to inspect conditions in Egyptian prisons and assess the welfare of prisoners, to be followed by a public report on prison conditions with recommendations.”