CAIRO, Aug 10 (Aswat Masriya) - Jamaa Islamiya leading figure Essam Derbala's funeral was held in Upper Egypt's Minya governorate on Monday, a day after the Derbala passed away in a Cairo prison.  

Mourners carried pictures of Derbala and signs describing Derbala as a "martyr". The Jamaa Islamiya hired buses and cars to carry mourners to the village where Derbala hails from. 

The group blames Egyptian authorities for Derbala's death.

The Jamaa Islamiya is a hardline Islamist group which was implicated in several militant attacks in Egypt during the 1990s, before its jailed leaders renounced violence in 1998.

The group said Derbala was prevented from accessing healthcare and that all attempts to have him hospitalised failed, despite his daily deterioration. 

However, the Interior Ministry said Derbala experienced fatigue on Saturday and was examined.

It turned out that he had a fever, low blood pressure and high blood glucose levels. He was "immediately" provided with first aid, the ministry said. 

He suffered from a "nose bleed and circulatory and respiratory failure, leading to his death," while being transported to hospital, the ministry said. 

It added that Derbala has a medical history of diabetes and stroke. 

An official from the south Cairo area prosecution, Tarek Abu Zeid said that Derbala died a "natural death" and that there are no signs of torture, after his body was inspected late on Sunday.

Prosecutors had ordered that Derbala's body be autopsied but Forensic Authority Spokesman Hisham Abdel Hamid was cited by state agency MENA as saying that his family refused the autopsy. 

Derbala was arrested in May, following an arrest warrant issued by the State Security Prosecution, a branch of the prosecution which is typically involved in cases that affect national security. 

He was charged with joining a group established in violation of the law, the pro-Mohamed Mursi Anti-coup alliance, a coalition formed to call for the reinstatement of the former president who was ousted in July 2013.  

He died inside a maximum security prison on the outskirts of Cairo.