Hunger striking detainee Soltan back to prison despite health concerns

News about defendant Mohamed Soltan returning to his cell in Tora Prison from hospital has been circulating on social media.

Activist Aida Seif al-Dawla wrote on Sunday that Soltan was removed from the Intensive Care Unit at Qasr al-Aini Hospital and was on his way to Tora Prison.

A medical statement by a US Embassy physician stated earlier this month that Soltan's health was deteriorating and that his weight had dropped from 120 to 78 kilograms. Soltan suffers from a health condition that makes him more prone to clotting and strokes, the physician explained.

Two days after the release of a statement by his family and support group, Soltan was admitted to the intensive care unit at Qasr al-Aini Hospital.

A statement by “Al-Horreya lil Gedaan” (Freedom for the Brave) support group said that the prisoner was taken from his cell on a stretcher, as he is unable to walk, which was also confirmed by the US Embassy medical assessment, who said Soltan had to be carried to be weighed.   

Soltan, who holds a US passport, was arrested last August from his home along with two friends, after returning to Egypt to be with his sick mother. Soltan's family stated that police were primarily looking for the Muslim Brotherhood leader Salah Soltan and when they did not find him, they arrested his son. The political prisoner has been on hunger strike for around 150 days.