Egyptian media tycoon Mohamed El-Amin, jailed over 'human trafficking', dies in private hospital

While dozens of Egyptian political prisoners were denied access to proper medical care, Mohamed Mohamed El-Amin was allowed to receive cancer treatment at a private hospital at his own expense during his incarceration.

MENA

2 min read

Thaer Mansour

Egypt - Cairo

22 December, 2022

Mohamed El-Amin’s media outlets played a key role in inciting the public against the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliate late president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. [Getty]

Jailed Egyptian businessman and former media tycoon Mohamed El-Amin passed away over the weekend at a private hospital in Cairo, almost eight months after he was convicted on charges of 'human trafficking' linked to sexual misconduct.

Amin had been sentenced to three years in May over charges of "human trafficking" and "sexual assault" of underage girls at an orphanage he established in Beni Sueif, south of the capital Cairo, an unusually reduced sentence possibly due to previous links to the regime of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

At a time when dozens of political prisoners are denied access to proper medical care such as former presidential hopeful Abdel-Moneim Aboul Fetouh, Amin was allowed receive cancer treatment at a private hospital reserved for the upper echelons of society instead of prison hospital.

“A few days before his demise, Amin asked to meet a top official to ask him to reconsider his case before a scheduled appeal hearing at the end of January,” a well-informed security source told The New Arab on condition of anonymity.

“Legally, the penalty for sexual assault and human trafficking is from seven to 15 years, not three,” the source argued.

Amin, who garnered public attention following the January 25 Revolution, was one of Egypt's most prominent media moguls, owning and managing 14 satellite TV channels including CBC, Al-Nahar and Modern, along with three local newspapers. He was known for being close to president Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and his aides.

Amin’s media outlets played a key role in inciting the public against the Muslim Brotherhood group and its affiliate the first democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi overthrown by a military coup led by the then-defence minister Sisi in July 2013. The group has been legally criminalised since 2014.

In 2018, United Media Services acquired all media companies belonging to Amin. United Media Services is allegedly known for being affiliated with the Egyptian general intelligence agency that currently controls most media outlets in the country.