Suffocating to death – save Egyptian prisoners !

Temperatures in Egypt will reach 45 degrees Celsius by tomorrow ! While many suffer because of this heat wave, Egyptian prisoners -in particular -are feeling the brunt of this hideously hot weather.

Former prisoners have talked in detail about the deteriorating conditions of prisons in Egypt and how the Prison Authority stacks prisoners in tiny cells as a measure of discipline : cells that can only contain 20 people are loaded with double this number !

In some prison cells, there isn’t any ventilation except for a tiny window near the ceiling. Prisoners have to take turn standing or sleeping because of the suffocating conditions !

Many suffer respiratory failure because of the lack of proper ventilation. A former prisoner recalls his imprisonment saying that they had to remain naked in order to feel a breeze and that they took turns showering “every five minutes” in order to cool down.

Several human rights organisations have tried to bring in fans to help elevate the heat, but the Prison Authority has blocked their efforts. As for their families, they jump through hoops in order to see their imprisoned relatives : they wait for hours in the sun, only to walk for miles in this heat to access the prison building itself. Sometimes the visiting days change suddenly as per the direction of the Prison Authority. Many are not allowed to bring the prisoners food, clothes and medication.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) has condemned the current conditions of Egyptian prisons, branding them, “Prisons of the Middle Ages” ! They detailed the Prison Authority’s transgressions including : lack of proper medical care, the absence of ventilation, lack of appropriate clothes and food.

EIPR has also condemned the lack of actual monitoring over the Prison Authority and demanded that the current constitution, that protects the rights of prisoners, be heeded.

Egyptian prisoners are slowly dying in their prison cells !

Save Egyptian prisoners NOW !

#IwantToBreathe

#SuffocatingPrisoner

#WeAreSuffocating