Islamic Activist Dies

A Muslim Brotherhood activist who spent most of the last 30 years in jail has died after being denied permission to travel abroad for medical care, the Syrian Committee for Human Rights said on August 26.



Engineer Abdulsattar Qattan, 68, died in hospital recently while being treated for a failing kidney, the London-based group reported.



Although Qattan, a father of four daughters from Aleppo, was released from prison in June 2006 because of kidney failure, he was not allowed to travel abroad to receive a transplant, according to the organisation, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.



Qattan, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was described as a pacifist who had suffered torture in the notorious Tadmor prison in eastern Syria. While on the outside, he helped facilitate financial aid for the families of prisoners and people who have gone missing.



He was first arrested in 1975, and had served a total of 20 years in prison for belonging to the group, which is banned in Syria.