The Article 55 coalition has released its monthly bulletin for May 2024, in which it documented the latest updates on the human rights, political, and legal situation in Egypt, focusing on the major violations suffered by detainees within the detention centers and prisons.
Judicial developments:
The Misdemeanor Appeals Court of Matariya, East Cairo, rejected the appeal submitted by the former potential presidential candidate, Ahmed Al-Tantawi, and his campaign staff. Security forces detained Al-Tantawi directly from the courtroom following the verdict. Furthermore, the Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by seven defendants in the case known as “Sudan Province,” resulting in the death sentence for four defendants, a life sentence for one defendant, and ten years of rigorous imprisonment for three defendants.
Violations in detention centers and prisons:
The coalition organizations documented several violations inside the detention centers and prisons in Egypt, including 5 deaths, one of them a former member of parliament. The organizations also reported that a letter was leaked from detainees inside the maximum-security Minya detention facility highlighted gross violations committed against them by Ahmed El-Khouli, the prison warden, and several prison officials.
Moreover, a plea from the wife of the detained politician, Mohamed Adel, was documented after she visited him on May 11, 2024, after she learnt that he had been transferred to the hospital of the maximum-security Gamasa prison, where he stayed for two days without any medical care, due to the hospital’s lack of basic medical needs.
Political developments:
By the end of May 2024, the devastating war waged by the Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has continued unabated. The month witnessed serious escalations; with Israel beginning its military operations in Rafah close to the Egyptian border and then occupying the Rafah border crossing from the Palestinian side, committing many massacres against Palestinian civilians. The month also witnessed clashes between Egyptian and Israeli soldiers at the border, resulting in the deaths of one Egyptian soldier and injury of two others, amid inaction from the Egyptian regime in dealing with the crisis.
Demands of the coalition:
In light of all the aforementioned, the Article 55 coalition believes that the conditions inside prisons and detention facilities are not surprising and fall within the general framework of how Egyptian authorities handle the detainees’ issue—especially the political ones—as the matter is systematic and not just individual violations as promoted by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior.
The policy of impunity practiced by the Egyptian authorities towards human rights violators within their detention facilities has encouraged, fueled, and spread these practices until they have become a method of action for the Egyptian Prisons Authority; thus, no leadership or officials have been punished or even reprimanded despite documented and significant violations.
Therefore, the coalition affirms that these practices within prisons and detention facilities in Egypt raise serious concerns about the fate of detainees, especially following the recent increase in the number of deaths within detention facilities and the deterioration of living conditions inside.
Thus, the organizations call for an investigation into these violations and to hold those responsible accountable according to the correct Egyptian and international law, applying the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the Egyptian Prison Regulations, stopping their violations, and providing living conditions worthy of the humanity of detainees.
Article 55 Coalition https://www.facebook.com/Article55egypt
Committee for Justice (CFJ), El Shehab Center for Human Rights (SHR), Egyptian Network for Human Rights, We Record, Arab Foundation for Civil and Political Rights- (Nedal)
