Security sources and eyewitnesses said two inmates were injured late on Saturday during clashes between 4000 prisoners and security forces al-Qatta prison, south of Cairo.
A security source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that some inmates caused the riot, demanding release after serving half their sentences. The inmates flocked toward the main gate in an attempt to escape. The source added that security forces at the prison warned them to get away from the gates and back to the wards, but they disobeyed.
Prisoners told Al-Masry Al-Youm that security guards went up to the watch towers, fired shots and used tear gas bombs to disperse them.
One prisoner said it started last Saturday, when some inmates decided to protest because the interior minister's decision to release some prisoners who served half their sentences was not implemented. Protesters found this unfair.
Some inmates said they were excluded entirely from the minister's decision. Due to what they saw as an injustice, they protested and refused to return to their wards.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
