The family of political prisoner Sobhi Orabi held officials at the Ministry of Interior and its prisons department responsible for the death of their relative, accusing them of medical negligence on Wednesday.

Orabi, a 40-year-old professor in Al-Azhar University, died in Tora prison on 1 September after suffering angina pectoris. His family told Daily News Egypt that he had suffered from chest pain and high blood pressure, claiming that prison doctors refused to examine him and prevented further medical care.

The family added that he wasn’t suffering from any disease until their last visit, and that his health deteriorated quickly.

He was arrested in December 2015 and sentenced to three years on charges of protesting without permission.

Hundreds in Al-Mahara village in Beheira attended Orabi’s funeral. The event was attended by several members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al–Jamaa Al–Islamiya, a citizen in the village told Daily News Egypt.

The Brotherhood’s branch in Beheira condemned Orabi’s death and vowed retribution.

Deaths in Egyptian prisons have been on the rise due to lack of medical care, especially in the cases of older men, and due to overcrowding in cells.

However, the Ministry of Interior and its officials often claim that the prison department offers medical care for prisoners, asserting that prison officials are not punishing or intimidating prisoners.

Thousands of civilians have been imprisoned or held in pre-trial detention since 2013. The Egyptian state has decided to build more prisons in different cities to deal with overcrowding.