Lawyer requests medical treatment for Elshamy

Egypt’s prosecutor receives urgent appeal to transfer jailed Al Jazeera reporter to hospital as his health deteriorates.

Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Abdullah Elshamy has been held in Egypt for 270 days without trial [Al Jazeera]

The lawyer representing jailed Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Abdullah Elshamy has asked Egyptian authorities to transfer the journalist to hospital after medical tests showed his health was failing.

Shaaban Saeed said he submitted a request to Egypt’s public prosecutor on Monday, asking for the release of Elshamy and his transfer to a hospital outside prison within 48 hours.

Blood and urine tests conducted at a private laboratory on May 8 showed the 26-year-old was dangerously close to death.

The test results said Elshamy showed signs of microcytic anemia, which was preventing proper levels of oxygen from reaching his vital organs.

The results showed Elshamy’s kidneys were not functioning normally, his liver was close to failure, there were high levels of urea in his blood and he also had a urinary tract infection.

Elshamy has been held in an Egyptian prison without trial since August and has been on a hunger strike for 111 days.

Journalists covering Elshamy’s court hearing on May 3 recorded him as saying he had not seen a doctor or a lawyer since he was jailed.

Three Al Jazeera English journalists, Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed, are also held in Egypt and are charged with conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been declared a terrorist organisation by the interim government.

The journalists have been incarcerated for 134 days in Tora prison.

Al Jazeera strongly denies the accusations made against its staff and has called on the Egyptian authorities to free them immediately.

Source: Al Jazeera