A total of 174 Muslim Brotherhood detainees were ordered released Wednesday by Attorney-General Hisham Barakat due to their medical conditions, Youm7 reported.
The defendants were released pending their cases of illegal protesting and violence. The move, however, is rare when it comes to pro-Brotherhood detainees.
Barakat ordered prosecutors in November 2013 to study the legal position of students and sick people detained in remand in cases of illegal protesting and release those who were not implicated in violence to finally drop their charges. The prosecution also released 120 detainees pending investigation in March, and 100 others in January.
Meanwhile, health conditions at police stations’ cells have been questioned after two men died recently at Old Cairo Police stations as an apparent result of overcrowding.
Following the deaths, some 200 detainees were transferred from the station Monday.
Recent inspections at the police station showed that the number of the detainees locked in one room had reached more than 350, although the capacity of the room is supposed to be limited to 120.
“This has led to overcrowding and the spread of diseases, besides the swelling of most of the detainees’ legs due to standing for long hours,” a security source told Youm7 Monday.
