In a harrowing appeal from inside Abu Zaabal 2 Prison, 65 Egyptian detainees have issued a desperate plea to halt their forced transfer to the notorious New Valley Prison—described by them as a “death camp.” The detainees say the facility is notorious for brutal physical and psychological abuse, degrading conditions, and the total absence of human dignity.
In a leaked letter, the prisoners revealed they were so terrified of returning to New Valley that they pleaded with a National Security officer to shoot them instead. Their pleas were ignored, and they were transferred regardless.
New Valley Prison, located deep in Egypt’s Western Desert, is infamous for its cruelty. Detainees report being greeted with the so-called tashrifa—a ritual of collective beatings upon arrival. Prisoners are blindfolded, handcuffed, stripped to their underwear, and forcibly shaved before being forced to relieve themselves in public.
The letter describes horrific living conditions in the masaffa, a cell built for 20 but crammed with over 60 inmates. There is no ventilation, light, or drinking water, and the cell is infested with insects and rats. Food is insufficient and often spoiled.
Prisoners are reportedly denied the right to pray or perform ablution. They are given only one bottle of water per day—for drinking and hygiene—and must strip naked each morning in front of one another to relieve themselves collectively.
The letter also details widespread solitary confinement, systematic torture, and arbitrary punishments. Detainees exiting the masaffa are moved to other notorious wings—each varying in the severity of abuse. Wing 4, reserved for political prisoners, is described as the harshest, with total bans on exercise, hygiene items, and family support. Protests or hunger strikes are met with extreme force, including torture that has reportedly led to deaths such as that of detainee Tarek Abu Al-Azm.
Wing 8 allows exercise but under punitive conditions—one prisoner at a time during peak heat, with no interaction allowed. Inmates are stripped of personal belongings, including Qur’ans, clothes, and even watches. Security raids routinely destroy food and bedding.
The disciplinary wing is likened to a “grave for the living,” where prisoners are held nearly naked in extreme heat or cold, forced to stand for hours, and fed inedible food thrown on the floor. Several deaths have been documented here, including Mohamed Zaki, Tarek Abu Al-Azm, and Hossam Abu Al-Abbas.
The prisoners report numerous suicide attempts, citing hopelessness and the complete absence of justice.
In closing, the detainees appeal for an immediate halt to forced transfers to New Valley Prison and demand relocation to facilities that meet basic humanitarian standards and allow proximity to their families. They call for urgent investigation into what they describe as systematic torture and violations of human dignity—crimes that warrant both national and international accountability.
