Dr. Hassan el-Hayawan, an academic with the Muslim Brotherhood released Wednesday from extended detention, died last night of a heart attack.
UPDATE: AP report by Nadia Abou El-Magd:
Senior Muslim Brotherhood member dies days after he is released from prison
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ A senior Muslim Brotherhood leader who had been imprisoned for nearly a year died three days after his release of heart attack, the group said Sunday. He was 48.
Hassan el-Haiwan was released from prison Wednesday and died Saturday night, the Brotherhood’s Web site said.
He was arrested during last year’s violent legislative election season during which at least 10 people were killed. Many of the deaths were blamed on security forces trying to block opposition voters from reaching the polls.
El-Haiwan, a university professor and doctor, was tried on charges of possessing weapons and plotting to use them during Egypt’s parliamentary elections in November and December last year.
A state security court ordered he be released in June, but el-Haiwan remained in custody. He was released in October, but a few days later el-Haiwan was re-arrested. The court again ordered his release on Sunday.
Thousands attend el-Haiwan’s funeral Sunday in the Sharqiyya Province, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Cairo.
Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members have been detained since the elections in a new crackdown on the banned group. In June, police detained about 220 members who were attending a protest in support of el-Haiwan.
The Muslim Brotherhood increased its seats in parliament sevenfold in last year’s legislative elections. The Brotherhood, which holds 88 seats in parliament _ still well short of a majority _ is Egypt’s largest Islamist group.
Founded in 1928, the Brotherhood has been banned since 1954, though it renounced violence in the 1970s. It is not allowed to run as a party in the elections, but it endorses “independent” candidates who openly declare their allegiance to the group.