Egypt: Systematic Violations at "Badr Rehabilitation and Correction Center" - Joint Statement

Déclaration commune sur le complexe Badr en Egypte

Human rights organizations that signed this statement express their grave concern about the severe violations committed by the Egyptian authorities inside the "Badr Rehabilitation and Correction Center" also known as the "Badr Prisons Complex 1, 2, 3". These actions constitute a flagrant violation of the Egyptian constitution, laws, international treaties, and conventions, as well as a clear violation of the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners established by the United Nations.

These violations include:

• Depriving detainees of visits for a period up to seven years;

• Depriving detainees of "exerice" and exposure to sunlight;

• Starving detainees by providing very small amounts of food, preventing family visits, and closing the prison cafeteria;

• Exposing detainees to strong lighting 24 hours a day, which, according to psychiatric experts, may lead to damage to the nervous system, cause depression, and then suicide;

• Violation of privacy through surveillance cameras (audio and image) inside the cells;

• Frequent searches accompanied by severe beatings of detainees;

• Intentional medical negligence and denial of the right to treatment;

• Unjustified prolonged solitary confinement;

• Deprivation of personal hygiene items;

• Harsh, humiliating treatment that violates human dignity.

Several organizations that have signed this statement affirm that:

The "Badr Prison Complex" is the most severe and degrading version of the infamous Scorpion prison.

These systematic and inhumane practices have led some detainees to end their lives (suicide attempts increased during the past week) and others to go on hunger strikes.

Since the beginning of the detention of political prisoners in Badr Prison Complex -less than a year ago- the number of deaths due to deliberate medical neglect has reached 5 cases.

The first death occurred on November 1, 2022 when the detainee Alaa Mohamed Al-Salami died inside Badr 3 prison after 60 days of hunger strike, the prison administration did not pay attention to his his demands or his death.

These violations are classified as "physical and psychological torture" crimes under international human rights law. Torture is a crime against humanity that does not fall under statute of limitations. Furthermore, it is being carried out in a systematic, comprehensive, and ongoing manner inside the prison.

Based on the above, the organizations that have signed this statement call on:

First, the Egyptian government:

• To immediately cease all of these violations classified as torture crimes and to abide by the rule of law;

• To promptly form an independent committee from "Egyptian and international" organizations to visit the prison.

Second, the Egyptian Prosecutor General:

• To apply the law that gives him full responsibility for monitoring prisons;

• To open an urgent, serious and transparent investigation into these violations and bring the perpetrators into justice though a fair trial.

Third, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:

• To urgently address the Egyptian authorities to cease these violations;

• To establish a fact-finding committee to assess the seriousness of the violations.

Fourth, international committees:

• The Committee Against Torture to implement the provisions of the Convention against Torture, signed by Egypt;

• The International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently visit Badr Prison Complex and examine the extent of the Egyptian authorities' compliance with standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners;

• The European Union's Committee on Human Rights to take necessary measures to stop these violations.

Fifthly, international and local civil society organizations, especially human rights organizations:

We call upon International and local civil society organizations, especially human rights organizations, to coordinate and join efforts in order to end the injustice and oppression of all the detainees of the Badr Prison Complex, so that every human being is treated in a manner that preserves his dignity, simply because he is a human being.

Signatories:

- Arab Organization for Penal Reform

- Egyptian Network For Human Rights

- Andalus institute for tolerance and anti violence studies

- RREE VOIC

- JHR

- Arab Media Freedom Monitor

- Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms

- El Shehab For Human Rights

- Najda Human Rights

- The Arab Foundation for Support of Civil Society and Human Rights

- Tawasol Organization for Human Rights

- AFD International - Bruxelles

- Human Rights Monitor

- Egyptian Democratic Institute

- IARD

- AVTT

- Alkarama

- Jewar

- TheirRight - USA