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Egypt: Death of political detainee after inhumane detention conditions

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Edited and translated by: Committee for Justice

Geneva: August 18, 2022
On Thursday, August 18, 2022, the Committee for Justice documented the death of Imad Bayoumi Awad al-Shamandili (55), a political prisoner, in Minya al-Qamh detention center in Sharqia, as a result of poor conditions of detention, overcrowding in cells, and high temperatures

Shamandili hails from the village of Sanhwa, in the Minya Al-Qamh district of the Sharkia governorate. He was arrested with his son, Islam, on November 8, 2020, from Alexandria, and was subjected to enforced disappearance for three months.

Four previous deaths since 1 July:

In addition to Shamandili, CFJ has documented the death of four others inside detention centers and headquarters in Egypt since the beginning of July. The death toll indicates a further deterioration of the living and health conditions inside Egyptian prisons and detention centers.

The deceased detainees are:

  1. Mahmoud Ahmed Mohamed Othman (64 years old), better known as Mahmoud Othman Al-Labban, an agricultural engineer, has 5 children, and lived in the Raml area in Alexandria. He was arrested in January, and died in Borg El Arab Prison, west of Alexandria, on July 19, 2022.
  2. Yasser Farouk al-Mahlawi died inside his prison after more than two and a half years of pretrial detention in connection with Case No. 1269 of 2019, a case of a political nature in which accusations included belonging to a banned group and smuggling funds abroad.
  3. On July 2, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Hamad (70 years old), died inside his prison after being transferred to the Minya Maximum Security Prison Hospital after his health deteriorated. He had been detained in connection with case no. 209 of 2015 (Military/ Criminal/ Asyut), known in the media as “the storming of Maghagha police station.” Hamad was suffering from a liver disease, which was compounded by the harsh and inhumane conditions of imprisonment, and the intransigence of the Minya prison administration in providing health care and proper treatment in the right place and time, which led to the deterioration of his health and eventually his death.
  4. Ahmed Yassin died in Mansoura Prison Hospital after suffering a heart attack inside his prison. He was a member of the Dustour Party. He was detained in September 2021, pending Case 910 of 2021 Supreme State Security, on charges of “spreading false news about political and economic conditions in the country with the intent of disturbing public peace.”

Deaths in detention centers in Egypt:

CFJ, through its platform, Justice Watch Archive, has documented 1,163 deaths inside detention centers and prisons in Egypt since 2013.

CFJ also documented 62 deaths inside detention centers and prisons in Egypt during 2021. It has issued a detailed report on violations inside detention facilities in Egypt in 2021, which was titled Egyptian Prisons: Rehabilitation Centers Or Graves For Human Rights.

In its report for the first quarter of 2022, CFJ also documented five deaths inside detention centers and prisons in Egypt.

For more information and media requests or inquiries, please get in touch with us (+41229403538 / media@cfjustice.org)

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