As 75 Percent of Detainess in Tora Istiqbal Prisoner on Hunger Strike

Tora, MINA – AS 75 percent of detainess at the Tora Istiqbal Prison, Egypt, has been ongoing hunger strike since Sunday.

We Record Human Rights Organization said all prisoners at A block had declared they would go on a hunger strike, except for four cells. While 70 percent at B block announced that they would join the hunger strike, 50 percent of C block and 100 percent of block D.

The action was triggered by torturing two prisoners with electric shocks earlier this month. Their clothes were stripped, their cells were emptied, and they were taken to a behavior seen only by their underwear, MEMO reported.

The other prisoners have their food, mattresses, fans, and items to read from themselves confiscated, were prohibited from visiting clinics, canteens, and the practice yard, and were handcuffed when their families came to visit.

Prisoners are demanding credible investigations into the treatment of detainees.

The elderly and prisoners with chronic illnesses or deteriorating health conditions are already at risk of lack of food.

Last month, Egypt’s Interior Minister announced that four prisoners and four prison wardens had been killed following an attempted prison break-in at Scorpion Prison, also part of the Tora compound.

Rights advocates claim that this arbitrary act was a reaction to the incident.

Shortly thereafter, 15 political prisoners on the same block with the alleged jail break were executed in what rights advocates said were a warning to other witnesses to keep their mouths shut.

A number of human rights groups have raised suspicions about the Interior Ministry’s version of the incident, given that Scorpion is one of the safest prisons in the country.

In a joint statement, several NGOs including the Justice Committee, ANHRI and the Al Nadeem Center rejected the Egyptian authorities’ treatment of detainees.

“The undersigned human rights organizations categorically reject the sustainable policy of humiliation practice by Egyptian authorities against detainees, especially political prisoners,” the statement said. (T/R7/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)