Former ambassador Mohamed Rifa’a al-Tahtawi, former Secretary-General of the Presidency during the era of late President Mohamed Morsi, has been on an open hunger strike for more than 45 days inside his prison cell, in protest at what he described as “grave violations” suffered by detainees.
Al-Tahtawi stressed in an urgent message leaked from behind bars that his hunger strike is not an isolated act, but comes alongside 58 other detainees in the same prison, in an unprecedented collective move that exposes the extent of repression and mistreatment inside Egyptian prisons.
He also warned that the health situation of some of the hunger strikers is deteriorating rapidly, with at least 16 attempts by detainees to present their cases before judges in courtrooms, according to testimonies from inside.
These developments reflect the desperate conditions endured by detainees who are deprived of their most basic rights, including proper healthcare, family visits, and contact with the outside world.
Prison complex Badr 3, which was established as a model for “reform and rehabilitation,” has become instead a symbol of systemic abuses, according to rights groups. Reports document prolonged solitary confinement, bans on family visits, denial of medical care, and psychological torture, making collective hunger strikes the only means left for detainees to express their rejection of oppression and inhumane treatment.
Al-Tahtawi called for the formation of an international fact-finding committee to visit the prison, investigate conditions inside, and verify the reality of the situation. He stressed that what is happening inside contradicts Egypt’s international obligations under human rights treaties.
The collective hunger strike led by al-Tahtawi and his fellow detainees represents a stark warning about the fate of hundreds of political prisoners in Egypt, placing the authorities directly responsible for any deaths that may result from the continued policy of neglect and abuse within prisons.
