The Hamas movement strongly condemned the death of Yousef Abu Zuhri, the brother of its spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri. Yousef died at an Egyptian prison on Tuesday and Hamas claims that he was tortured to death. The movement demanded a direct investigation into the issue and the prosecution of those responsible for the incident.
Hamas says that Yousef, 38, was subjected to excruciating torture that led to internal bleeding.
It added that it repeatedly asked the Egyptian Authorities during the detention of Yousef to transfer him to a hospital for treatment, but to no avail.
Hamas said that prior to his death, Yousef briefly called his family from prison and asked him to contact Egyptian officials to save his life.
There are several Hamas members imprisoned by Egypt, and the movement is demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri said that his brother died of torture, and that the Egyptian Authorities moved him to a hospital only after he was in a critical condition.
He added that his brother had a preliminary surgery before he was moved to prison.
Yousef was arrested last April after he crossed into Egypt, and was subjected to several rounds of investigation without any charges or trial.
Deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Bahar, demanded Egypt to probe the incident and to reveal its details.
During the Wednesday funeral of Abu Zuhri, Bahar demanded the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and his People’s Council to investigate the incident and prosecute the persons in charge.
