Amnesty International on Thursday called on Egyptian authorities to cease their reprisal actions against prisoners at the 10th of Ramadan Prison who have embarked on a hunger strike. The detainees are protesting against their arbitrary detention and demanding an end to the harsh and inhumane conditions they are being subjected to.

Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt researcher at Amnesty International, stated:

Instead of addressing the deplorable detention conditions in the 10th of Ramadan Prison, the authorities are attempting to stifle prisoners who are protesting these conditions by subjecting them to punishment. Even within newly constructed, state-of-the-art prisons like the 10th of Ramadan, inmates continue to endure mistreatment at the hands of prison authorities who operate without sufficient oversight or accountability.

Amnesty International reports that inmates in the prison are completely deprived of sunlight as they are not allowed daily outdoor exercise as mandated by the Mandela Rules. They are confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, with only one hour of exercise permitted in a corridor within the building.

The hunger strike, initiated by several political detainees at the Reform and Rehabilitation Center within the prison since January, is a response to prolonged pretrial detention without legal basis and the substandard conditions of their confinement. These detainees had previously requested Egypt’s Public Prosecutor to visit the prison for an inspection, listen to their grievances, and investigate allegations against the prison administration. Regrettably, these pleas were disregarded by both the Supreme State Security Prosecution and the First Circuit of the Cairo Criminal Court during pretrial detention renewal sessions.

In response to the deteriorating detention conditions at the 10th of Ramadan 6 Prison, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) issued a statement on January 12. Subsequently, on January 19, prosecutors initiated an investigation against prominent human rights defender Hossam Bahgat, executive director of the EIPR, on charges of “spreading false news” and “aiding and funding a terrorist group.”

Bahgat was summoned by Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution and interrogated for over three hours without being informed about the nature of the investigation or allegations against him. Human Rights Watch has urged Egyptian authorities to drop the terrorism-related charges against Bahgat, emphasizing the importance of protecting human rights defenders.