News briefing
By: Committee for Justice
Geneva: September 19, 2023
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented a new death inside an Egyptian detention center of a political detainee named Ibrahim Al-Sayyid Abdul Muttalib Al-Sheikh (56 years old). The monitoring and follow-up team of the CFJ revealed that Al-Sheikh died in his cell at the Abu Zaabal prison, located about 30 km northeast of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, due to poor detention conditions and medical neglect. Al-Sheikh, an anesthesiologist from Fisha Salim village, Tanta district, residing in Basyoun city, Gharbia Governorate, and a father of three. He had been in custody since 2020.
Demands for Investigations and Accountability:
CFJ calls on the Egyptian authorities to cease neglecting the demand for better living conditions for political detainees and to adhere to the international treaties and covenants they are signatories to, especially the Nelson Mandela Rules. CFJ further demands a transparent and neutral investigation into the circumstances surrounding these deaths, holding those responsible accountable, and ensuring they are brought to justice.
29 Deaths in 2023:
Thus, the number of deaths documented by the CFJ since the beginning of 2023 in Egyptian prisons and detention centers has risen to 29. The latest was Jumaa Mohamed Ali Hashhash, 63, a retired agricultural engineer, who passed away in Toukh prison in El-Monufia Governorate.
Accurate information about death cases during detention in Egypt can be obtained through the Justice Watch Archive service provided by CFJ, which contains information about more than 14,000 victims and over 30,000 violations. It also monitors violations inside more than 500 places of detention in Egypt.
