The undersigned organizations are following with grave concern the developments taking place inside Tenth of Ramadan Prison.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a one-year postponement of the implementation of the new Criminal Procedure Law. The decision came just hours before the law was scheduled to take effect. According to information received by the undersigned organizations, detainees began protesting immediately after learning of the decision. They refused to receive their assigned food, refused to go out for exercise, and began chanting and banging on the doors.
The same information indicates that security forces intervened and used tear gas against the detainees.
What is happening cannot be separated from its broader context. Thousands of detainees, many of whom have been held in pretrial detention for years, had pinned their hopes on the new law. The sudden postponement has closed that door for at least another year. Peaceful protest against this decision is a right, and responding to it with force is an unjustified escalation.
Accordingly, the undersigned organizations demand:
- The immediate cessation of the use of force against detainees.
- No punitive or disciplinary measures be taken against detainees because of their protest, including transfer to remote prisons, solitary confinement, or denial of family visits.
- An independent investigation by the Public Prosecution into today’s events, with its findings made public.
- A review of the circumstances of all those held in pretrial detention and the release of anyone who has exceeded detention periods as set by the current law, without waiting for the new law to come into effect.
The undersigned organizations hold the Ministry of Interior and the administration of Tenth of Ramadan Prison fully responsible for the safety of all detainees.
Signatory organizations:
- El Nadeem Center against Violence and Torture
- Refugees Platform in Egypt
- Law and Democracy Support Foundation
- Egyptian Human Rights Forum
- Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights
