• MB News
  • January 19, 2016
  • 4 minutes read

Rights Expert Reveals Circumstances Surrounding Muslim Brotherhood Chairman’s Surgery

Rights Expert Reveals Circumstances Surrounding Muslim Brotherhood Chairman’s Surgery

 The circumstances in which Dr Mohamed Badie, the Muslim Brotherhood’s General Guide and Chairman, had his hernia operation done recently indicate the extent of the poor conditions people suffer in my country.



First, that operation should have been done a long time ago. Dr Badie was finding it very difficult to move for a while. The hernia operation was an urgent necessity. But the prison administration deliberately delayed it for as long as they could.


I talked with Dr Badie’s family in this regard. And for your information, I am in constant contact with all the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and the families of prisoners of conscience, due to my membership of the National Council for Human Rights. The NCHR spoke with officials of the Interior Ministry about Dr Mohamed Badie’s need for the surgical operation. It sent an official letter for this purpose.


Finally, the prison administration agreed. But how was that operation done? They dragged Dr Badie out of his prison cell in the middle of the night: before dawn, in any case. They hauled him, heavily guarded, to Manial University Hospital.


After he underwent surgery, they locked him in a hospital room where there was no toilet. Then, they banned all visits, even doctors were prevented from entering to perform the basic duties of their job, to examine him, change surgical dressing, and make sure the procedure had no complications!


Dr Badie, my dear mentor, needed to use the toilet, but no-one responded to his calls. Deliberately, they refused to respond to his call for help. Less than 24 hours after surgery, prison officers stormed into his room and hauled him back to jail. Then, they threw him in the prison hospital – a very dismal place with unbelievably low standards.


Absurdly, national newspaper Al-Akhbar took the opportunity to ridicule the sick man in an article with the headline "Brotherhood Guide Ruptured", using an extremely obscene expression while referring to the hernia operation. The writer was forced to apologize the next day, under pressure from public opinion uproar against him. Let’s hope the day will soon come when all media apologize for their crimes against the people of Egypt.


* This is a translation of an original Arabic article by: Mohamed Abdul-Quddus.