Proposal to harvest organs from Egypt’s death-row inmates sparks controversy

Abdel-Salam added that the status of a person sentenced to death raises issues regarding the existence of free will—whether before or after the sentence is carried out—noting that the restrictions imposed on such individuals mean that utilizing their organs for donation requires an explicit legal basis.

He pointed out that the Egyptian Constitution enshrines the inviolability of the human body and stipulates that organ donation after death requires consent or a documented will; he emphasized that the state does not gain the right to dispose of a person’s body simply because a death sentence has been issued.

Ezz al-Arab stressed that the crucial factor is not merely the medical viability of the organ, but the existence of a legal declaration—documented in official records—that reflects the donor’s free will.