The number of victims in Egyptian prisons continues to rise as a result of the systematic policy of deliberate medical negligence, which had led to the death of the political detainee Hassan Abdullah Hassan, 63, from Suez, who died with a sudden heart attack in Wadi al-Natrun Prison, before being transferred to hospital where he died. His family confirmed that he was and in good health when they visited him a few days before his death.
Likewise, the political detainee Shaaban Fouad died in Shebin El-Koum Deportations Prison on Monday, September 12, after his health deteriorated due to being infected with the Coronavirus.
Shaaban is from the Menoufia governorate, and he had previously been arrested several times, the last of which was on January 8, where he remained forcibly disappeared for 22 days.
Six citizens died in various Egyptian prisons and detention centres last August, and the number of detainees who died this year has reached 32, in addition to hundreds who have been arbitrarily detained since July 3, 2013 and died in prison.
The number of deaths in Egyptian prisons is escalating amid complete denial of any kind of oversight, as the Egyptian authorities refuses to allow the Red Cross Committee to inspect prison conditions, and the only body that can inspect is the Public Prosecution, which does not primarily investigate crimes of torture, but has rather become a partner in covering up for its perpetrators.
It is noteworthy that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that “prisoners deprived of their liberty should be treated with humanity, with respect for the inherent dignity of the human personality.”
