Egypt: Jailed activist's appearance in court raises health concerns

Photos circulating of Aisha al-Shater, the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood leader, have sparked concerns about her health among activists online.

According to local media, Shater appeared in court this week looking pale and unwell, leading many social media users to draw comparisons and highlight how she looked before her arrest. 

Shater, a human rights activist who was involved in activities to support the families of political prisoners, was arrested in November 2018 in a wave of arrests that targeted around 40 human rights workers in Cairo.

Shater, along with her husband, human rights lawyer Mohamed Abou Horaya, was charged with "belonging to an organisation established contrary to the law" and "inciting to harm the national economy."

Translation: The looks of Aisha al-Shater tell a story of pain and injustice of the coup ruling criminals. 

Human rights organisations have previously warned that she could die in prison if not given the proper medical care needed.

We Record, an Egyptian rights network, previously stated that Shater was suffering from bone marrow failure, which results in a number of serious symptoms.

Translation: Aisha al-Shater in her first appearance in three years, and of course the hotel service that Sisi speaks about is evident…

Translation: After three years of solitary confinement and deprivation of seeing her children, whilst having a serious blood disease, today was the court date for Aisha al-Shater...I received her photo and I ended up in tears on the edge of the road...

Shater is one of at least 60,000 political prisoners detained since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2013 after leading a coup against his predecessor Mohamed Morsi, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood. 

Sisi has overseen a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters, secular politicians and public figures who initially supported his coup but then criticised his rule.