Press release
Geneva – May 15, 2024
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has monitored a leaked message from political detainees in the high-security Minya Prison, “Rehabilitation 2,” detailing severe violations allegedly ordered by the prison warden, Ahmed El-Khouli, and overseen by Chief of Investigations Ahmed Sedky, Assistant Investigator Khaled Abu Stiet, Investigation Clerk Mohamed Kotb, along with several informants and prison guards.
According to the message, the prison administration carried out a large-scale strip search campaign targeting all rooms of political detainees. This resulted in the destruction of blankets, mattresses, and personal belongings, and the confiscation of essential daily living items such as kitchen utensils and electric heaters, which detainees had purchased at high prices from the prison canteen after being denied entry by the administration.
Additionally, the detainees have been deprived of outdoor exercise for the second consecutive week, depriving them of sunlight and fresh air, which could lead to the spread of diseases and skin conditions due to the severe overcrowding in prison cells. The administration also removed most of the electric lights from the rooms, leaving an insufficient number that fails to provide adequate illumination, negatively impacting the detainees’ eyesight.
In light of these reports, CFJ condemns these violations against political detainees in the high-security Minya Prison “Rehabilitation 2.” CFJ demands an immediate halt to these abuses, the initiation of impartial and prompt investigations into the circumstances surrounding them, and the accountability of those responsible, particularly the prison warden and the chief of investigations.
CFJ also calls on the Egyptian Public Prosecution and the National Council for Human Rights to fulfill their roles in monitoring detention centers and prisons and addressing the violations against detainees. Furthermore, CFJ reiterates its call for the Egyptian authorities to end discriminatory policies against political detainees and to treat them in accordance with the international treaties and conventions that Egypt has signed.
