Joint Official Statement Issued by a Group of International Non-Governmental Human Rights Organizations

Joint Official Statement

Issued by a group of international non-governmental human rights organizations

July 15, 2025

Egypt | Badr 3 Prison: The Lives of Political Detainees are in Grave Danger

The undersigned human rights organizations strongly condemn the catastrophic and systematic deterioration of detention conditions in Badr 3 Prison, which endangers the lives of political detainees in Egypt and constitutes a blatant violation of the most basic international and national humanitarian and legal standards.

Shocking and horrifying facts have come to light during the criminal court sessions in "Badr Prison" in July 2025, presenting a true humanitarian tragedy that has sounded a serious alarm. On July 12, as reported by several lawyers who attended the sessions that day, there was an attempt by detainee Mohamed Anis Mohamed Al-Sharif to cut the veins in his hands inside the courtroom cage. This desperate scene reflects the extreme and crushing psychological pressures faced by political detainees. Even more shocking is the appalling inaction on the part of the judges to provide urgent medical assistance or to open an immediate investigation into the incident to understand the true motives behind this desperate act.

During the session on July 5, detainee Khaled Al-Azhari, former Minister of Manpower, cried out with poignant words attributed to him: "We are living in graves... we see neither sun nor light... when I reach this age and feel I need to cut my veins... it's because I can't bear it." He thus confirmed his suicide attempt and revealed a wound on his hand, underscoring the extent of despair they have reached inside the prison.

Both Hassan Al-Barnes, a university professor and former Deputy Governor of Alexandria, and Ahmed Abu Baraka, a former lawyer and parliamentarian, indicated that they have lost their hearing due to prolonged isolation and complete silence in solitary confinement cells. These testimonies document the severe physical and psychological damage resulting from systematic deprivation of medical care, family visits, and legal consultations. Other detainees have confirmed the occurrence of repeated suicide attempts among prisoners in protest against the "deadly conditions" they are forced to live in.

Blatant Violations of International and National Laws

What is happening in Badr 3 Prison is not merely negligence; it is a systematic and deliberate violation of human rights, clearly contradicting the Egyptian constitution and international human rights law. The deprivation of visits and communication with families and lawyers, which are fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Rule 58 of the Nelson Mandela Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, constitutes a serious transgression.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture has previously stated that prolonged deprivation of contact with the outside world may amount to torture. Additionally, Article 55 of the Egyptian Constitution explicitly prohibits torture and all forms of inhuman or degrading treatment. Prolonged solitary confinement, severe overcrowding, lack of basic healthcare, and deprivation of sunlight and proper ventilation are all forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment inflicted upon detainees.

Urgent Demands to the Egyptian Authorities and the International Community

The organizations signing this statement demand that the Egyptian authorities, led by the Public Prosecution, the judiciary, and the Ministry of Interior, take the following actions immediately and without delay:

Immediate Investigation and Accountability: Open a transparent and independent investigation into all documented incidents of torture and suicide attempts in Badr 3 Prison, and hold all responsible parties accountable for these violations in accordance with the law.

Comprehensive Healthcare: Provide urgent and necessary medical and psychological care to all detainees without discrimination, and ensure their access to specialized doctors and essential medications.

End Harsh Isolation: Immediately halt the policy of prolonged and harsh solitary confinement, and allow detainees daily exercise and human contact with their peers.

Activate the Right to Visit: Allow immediate and unconditional family and legal visits for lawyers, and end all forms of abuse in exercising this fundamental right.

Open Prisons for Monitoring: Allow independent international and local committees, including representatives of human rights organizations, to visit Badr 3 Prison and all other detention facilities without restrictions or obstacles, to assess the conditions on the ground.

Release Arbitrarily Detained Individuals: Conduct an immediate review of the conditions of all those held in pretrial detention, and release anyone who has exhausted their legal detention periods or against whom there is insufficient evidence to justify their continued detention.

The lives of detainees are in imminent danger, and the horrifying appeals we receive from behind bars call for urgent and decisive intervention. The undersigned organizations urge the entire international community, including relevant United Nations mechanisms, governments, and international human rights institutions, to exert maximum diplomatic and legal pressure on the Egyptian authorities to end these grave violations of human rights and to ensure justice and human dignity for all detainees in Egypt.

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