Ayman Nour's Medical Procedure Delayed

Reuters reported yesterday that jailed Egyptian politician Ayman Nour, who was sent to the hospital to have stents inserted into his arteries, was sent back to prison without the necessary treatment. In a letter obtained by LCHR in June, Nour wrote: "I am ill with diabetes, heart disease, arterial disease, and high blood pressure...after nearly 6 months in prison I am feeling death approaching at every moment." At that time, Nour indicated that he had been denied medical treatment. Last week, however, his wife, Gameela Ismail, reported that arrangements had been made for Nour to go to the hospital on Saturday for the stent procedure. Ismail told Reuters Sunday that "authorities had not allocated enough time for Nour to prepare for the procedure, or to receive the proper follow-up care afterwards."

According to the piece:

"'They just wanted to get him finished and return him back to prison,' she said, adding that she had objected to Nour undergoing what she said was a rushed treatment.

"Nour, 41, was taken back to jail on Saturday evening, hours after being admitted to a state-owned hospital in Cairo where the procedure was to be conducted.

"His wife, who must provide the stents doctors will use, has previously said she expected him to be in the hospital for up to a week. She could not say when the procedure would be rescheduled, or if it would take place at the same hospital."

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