[News] Egypt - Dozens dead and hundreds injured at the Shebin al-Kom Prison

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Dozens dead and hundreds injured at the Shebin al-Kom Prison



Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
2011-02-24, Issue <http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/518>518

<http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/action/71170>http://pambazuka.org/en/category/action/71170

The <http://eipr.org/en/pressrelease/2011/02/23/1102>Egyptian 
Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) today called for an immediate 
investigation into the excessive violence being used by officers at 
the Shebin al-Kom Prison in Monufiya against prison inmates since 25 
January, which has left dozens dead and hundreds more injured. The 
EIPR asked the Public Prosecutor to take immediate action to stop the 
use of violence against prisoners and provide the necessary medical 
care for the injured and sick.

The EIPR has received credible information from inside the prison 
indicating that the warden and prison administration used tear gas 
canisters and live ammunition against inmates, ostensibly in response 
to a collective escape attempt organized by some prisoners. The 
prisoners deny this, adding that the administration shot at them 
while they were inside their cellblocks.

The EIPR added that it has a list of 17 prisoners among those killed 
so far in Cell Block A alone. The list includes the name of Kamal 
Said Mahmoud, who was killed while inside the cell on Sunday, 20 February.

"The Public Prosecutor must take action now to stop the murder of 
prisoners and save those injured in the Shebin al-Kom Prison," said 
Magda Boutros, a researcher with the EIPR. "He must put an end to the 
collective killing of prisoners in other prisons around the country, 
especially since every day we discover more victims in more prisons."

Testimonies from the Shebin al-Kom Prison indicate that the unrest 
that began in the prison on 25 January still continues, despite 
periods of calm. Several prisoners said that injured inmates only 
received medical care days after their injury. They added that they 
have been denied food, water, and electricity in the cellblocks for 
long periods since the beginning of the turmoil. They have also been 
denied family visits.

The unrest broke out again yesterday, 22 February, when security 
forces under the Interior Ministry, supported by army troops, 
attempted to evacuate some inmates. The prisoners refused, fearing 
they would be subjected to retaliation by administrations of other prisons.

Yesterday the EIPR contacted Gen. Khaled Hamdi of the Prison 
Authority, who said that the security situation does not permit the 
presence of prisoners because the cellblocks have been destroyed. He 
said that the Prison Authority had decided to evacuate the inmates 
and temporarily transfer them to other prisons until the necessary 
repairs could be completed.

The EIPR urged the Prison Authority to guarantee that the transfer of 
prisoners to other prisons will not endanger their lives or safety, 
and to guarantee their right to humane treatment in all cases.

The EIPR previously filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor on 
behalf of 11 families of inmates at the al-Qata Prison in Giza on 9 
February, asking for an immediate investigation into information 
received by the families that the prison administration had randomly 
opened fire on inmates in late January, killing dozens.




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