The family of Mohamed Soltan, an Egyptian-American on hunger strike for more than 250 days, says that his health has deteriorated rapidly in the last few days.
His brother Omar had written on Twitter on Tuesday that Soltan has been moved to the intensive care unit of a hospital due to internal bleeding – which he said could be in the detainee's brain, according to medical tests.
Freedom for the Brave – a grassroots movement organising for the release of Egyptian political detainees – has demanded Soltan's release in order to save his life.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the movement said that Soltan is suffering from a genetic disease that causes blood clotting and as such lacks the necessary medical care in prison.
The movement said the 26-year-old's health has deteriorated due to neglect from prison authorities and doctors. It added that Soltan was first transferred to Manial Hospital and then Qasr Al-Ainy Hospital, both in central Cairo.
in March, Soltan was also admitted to hospital for tests.
Soltan began his hunger strike over 250 days ago to protest his continued detention.
He is pending trial along with 50 others – including Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie – on charges of setting up an operations room after the violent dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya protest camp in Cairo in August 2013.
The defendants are accused of using the control room to orchestrate chaos and plot attacks on police stations, private property and churches, as part of the unrest that swept Egypt after the ousting of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
Soltan's father Salah – a prominent Islamic preacher affiliated with the Brotherhood – is also among the defendants.
On Wednesday, the US-based human rights body Amnesty International called on Egyptian authorities to release Mohamed Soltan due to his poor health condition.
Amnesty also urged global citizens to petition Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat and the ministry of foreign affairs to demand Soltan's release.
Soltan's trial will resume on Saturday.
His family has argued that he was not involved in politics at the time of his arrest in August 2013 and was in Cairo to care for his sick mother.
Soltan is at the forefront of a hunger strike campaign that has taken force in recent weeks. Detainees along with family members, friends and political parties have joined the hunger strike to call for the release of political prisoners and the revoking of a controversial protest law responsible for putting many activists behind bars for illegal demonstrations.
Prominent activist Ahmed Douma was also transferred to hospital earlier this week after his health deteriorated following a month-long hunger strike.
