{"id":33865,"date":"2023-03-20T14:27:05","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T12:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/?p=33865"},"modified":"2023-03-20T14:27:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T12:27:05","slug":"egypt-rights-groups-warn-of-collective-punishment-at-badr-prison-international-committee-of-the-red-cross-and-independent-rights-groups-must-be-granted-access-to-badr-prison-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afteegypt.org\/en\/advocacy-en\/2023\/03\/20\/33865-afteegypt.html","title":{"rendered":"Egypt: Rights Groups Warn of Collective Punishment at Badr Prison International Committee of the Red Cross and Independent Rights Groups Must be Granted Access to Badr Prison Complex"},"content":{"rendered":"

We, the undersigned Egyptian and international organizations, express our deepest concern regarding the egregious and collective violations of human rights taking place at Egypt\u2019s Badr Rehabilitation and Correctional Center. We are particularly alarmed by recent reports of numerous suicide attempts and hunger strikes among detainees due to the nature and scale of abuses taking place. These reports have not been yet corroborated due to the lack of transparency and the authorities’ refusal to allow independent access to prisons, as well as their denial of visitation rights to family members. We call on the international community\u2014Egypt\u2019s influential allies, the United Nations, and other members of international civil society\u2014to demand transparency in Egypt\u2019s prisons system. We reiterate our demand that the Egyptian government grants unrestricted access<\/a> to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and independent human rights groups to prisons in Egypt; allows independent investigations into allegations of wrongdoing; and holds perpetrators of abuse accountable for their crimes.<\/p>\n

Since the transfer of prisoners into Badr began in June 2022, at least four deaths have been reported. In at least three of these cases, authorities have failed to respond to calls for medical assistance.\u00a0Our organizations have documented other forms of abuse that amount to torture. These\u00a0vary from maintaining bright lights in cells 24 hours a day to chaining prisoners to the walls of their cells without food and water for days at a time. Prisoners have reported receiving electric shocks if they make requests for improved conditions. Prison cells are monitored with cameras 24 hours a day.\u00a0\u0651In October 2022, Omar Mohamed Ali, a prisoner, was subjected to sexual harassment<\/a> by prison security personnel after being transferred to Badr prison.<\/p>\n

Visitation rights are granted arbitrarily and enforcing them is effectively up to the discretion of security officials. In some cases, prisoners have been denied visitations for years on end, and prison authorities continue to deny medications and personal belongings sent by family members to inmates.\u00a0Prisoners face court hearings online from within the prison, where they are not granted physical access to the court and free access to their lawyers. From February 20 till March 8, renewal of detention hearings for Badr 3 prisoners held in pretrial detention have not been convened under the pretext of a technical malfunction in the screens. Similarly, on March 7 and 8, renewal of detention hearings for Badr 1 prisoners have been postponed, leaving a total of 918 individuals imprisoned without their pretrial detention being renewed by a court.<\/p>\n

Despite the Egyptian government\u2019s many claims of reform, including its promotion<\/a> of Badr as a new, modern prison, these abuses persist unabated and with impunity. The prosecutor\u2019s office has repeatedly failed to seriously investigate allegations of abuse and torture, including incidents resulting in the death of detainees<\/a>. In November 2022, during a renewal of detention court hearing where detainees were only allowed to join online, the judge disconnected<\/a> the detainees from the call when they began expressing their grievances about the violations being committed against them. During another hearing<\/a> on March 13, prisoners informed the court of the torture and other violations committed against them at Badr 3 prison, the judge however denied lawyers’ request to put the prisoners\u2019 statements on a separate record and open an investigation into their complaints.<\/p>\n

We note that reports of treatment in the prisons varies, with a few prisoners granted more access to visits and reporting temporarily improved conditions, while dozens of others report significant deterioration in conditions and access to the outside world. These conditions have led to a sense of hopelessness among inmates, resulting in the reported suicide attempts and hunger strikes.<\/p>\n

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We reiterate calls for:<\/p>\n