Rights groups demand inquiry into Wadi al-Natrun violence

Violent acts committed against prisoners in Wadi al-Natrun prison must be investigated, declared a joint statement issued by several human rights groups on Monday.

According to the statement, in late May Central Security Forces raided cells, fired tear gas and brutally beat the prison's inmates, who in recent months have repeatedly spoken out against torture practices which are allegedly common at Wadi al-Natrun.

The victims of this most recent act of police brutality must immediately be examined by the Forensics Authority before their injuries heal, the rights groups demanded.

The statement went on to exhort the relevant authorities to protect inmates from any further mistreatment, torture or punitive measures relating to the incident.

The signatories to the statement — including the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Al-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and seven others — reiterated their request to allow delegations to visit the prison.

The violence began when inmates at the prison refused to open their cell doors to a Prison Authorities delegation, according to testimonies given by activists and lawyers. The detainees proceeded to bang on the cell doors and chant against their long detention periods, which are frequently renewed without the authorities ever referring their cases to trial.

When the prison guards failed to contain the situation, police forces raided the cells, firing sound guns and beating inmates. Eyewitnesses claimed prisoners were lined in the halls in their underwear and beaten while others were attacked with tear gas.

The violence continued until one inmate suffering heart problems died.  

Most of the detainees in this area of the prison are held on political charges — several were arrested during the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya and Nahda Square sit-ins last August, while many others were arrested during student protests, according to the rights groups.

Furthermore, detainees held pending investigations are sharing cells with convicted inmates in violation of the law, the statement said.

General Prosecutor Hesham Barakat ordered an investigation into the incident last week, but no such measures have yet been taken, according to the rights groups. Their statement urged the general prosecution and other judicial bodies to conduct monthly surprise visits to the nation’s prisons, and issue monthly reports on their findings.

“The Egyptian authorities must abide by the constitutional guarantees against torture and mistreatment," the statement concluded, "as well as respect its international obligations as a signatory on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."