A Cairo-based human rights organization has urged the presidency to intervene immediately to resolve the problem of high density in prisons and custody detention centers.
In a memo to the presidency, a copy of which was obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm, the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) said prisons are overcrowded by 160 percent, setting the rate at custody detentions at 400 percent.
The memo warned of the deteriorating conditions in prisons and the absence of health care and proper nutrition for inmates, many of whom fall sick or die.
The organization stressed that police stations are not prepared to cope with the expansive custody detentions ordered by prosecution services.
AOHR Secretary General Alaa Shalaby told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Interior Ministry replied to his correspondences by noting that 36 deaths among inmates took place since the last week of November, 34 of whom died of chronic diseases, while the remaining two died with sudden health problems.
In its memo, the organization suggested that the presidency adopt laws that would turn a number of unused security facilities into prisons and to give more attention to medical care inside prisons.
According to Shalaby, nearly 7,700 detainees are detained over crimes related to political activism, violence and terrorism, adding that 97 percent of those are members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He said estimates reveal that 10,000 arrest warrants are underway for the arrest of further suspects of terrorism-related charges.
Shalaby urged the General Prosecutor to declare the exact number of detainees so as to deny “some local and international organizations the chance to use the issue for political purposes.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
