التاريخ : الأحد 03 مايو 2026 . القسم : Media Statements
MB: We demand the release of Dr. Rashad al-Bayoumi, Egypt’s oldest political detainee, on medical grounds
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) demands the immediate release on medical grounds of Egyptian Scientist Professor Dr. Rashad al-Bayoumi, the professor of geology at Cairo University’s Faculty of Science, member of the MB Guidance Bureau – the oldest political detainee in Egypt, as he is now 93 years old. Reports confirm that Dr. Al-Bayoumi is currently in Kasr Al Aini Hospital’s intensive care unit, in critical health conditions.
In fact, the Brotherhood's demand for his release stems primarily from the fact that his detention resulted from a trial that lacked fairness.
Legally speaking, the MB asserts that continuing the detention of Dr. Rashad al-Bayoumi at this advanced age, in addition to his critical medical conditions, violates the essence of Article 36 of the Prisons Organization Law, which opens the path to release on health grounds for the convict if the disease he suffers from threatens his life or renders him totally incapacitated.
Furthermore, Dr. Al-Bayouni’s continued detention violates the philosophy of Articles 80 and 81 of the Internal Regulations of Prisons, which stipulate that if the prisoner’s health deteriorates to a dangerous level, he must be presented to a medical committee to consider his release on health grounds – given that the philosophy of the law is based on the principle that preserving the right to life takes precedence over the formal continuation of the remainder of the sentence.
Therefore, the Muslim Brotherhood emphasizes that the refusal to grant release on medical grounds in the case of Dr. Rashad al-Bayoumi manifests a violation of the purposes of the law and the most basic principles of humanity.
The MB also confirms that the Ministry of Interior’s refusal to allow al-Bayoumi’s daughter the right to visit him, despite the seriousness of his health condition, violates Articles 38-40 of the Prisons Organization Law No. 396 of 1956, because his medical condition falls under the necessities that permit an exceptional visit.
While the Brotherhood calls for the immediate release of Dr. Al-Bayoumi on medical grounds and for his family to be allowed to visit him without delay, it also calls for the release on medical grounds and a review of the conditions of elderly detainees who are approaching or have already passed the age of eighty, particularly Dr. Mohamed Badie’, Dr. Mahmoud Ezzat, Dr. Essam Hashish, Dr. Mohamed Rifa’a Al Tahtawi, and Eng. Khairat Al Shater, and all those whose old age and illness make their continued detention a direct threat to their lives.
The Muslim Brotherhood also stresses that saving Dr. Rashad al-Bayoumi’s life is an urgent duty that cannot be delayed. In this regard, the MB holds the Ministry of Interior and the entire Egyptian regime fully legally and humanely responsible for al-Bayoumi’s life and safety.
It also confirms that pursuing a slow death approach by violating the health rights of detainees has legal consequences that are not to be subject to statutory limitations.
Finally, the MB also emphasizes that it is in the best interest of the nation to release all political detainees and utilize their capabilities to save a nation in crisis.
Muslim Brotherhood
(Sunday, 15 Dhul Qi’da 1447 AH / 3 May 2026 AD)