6th Annual Report "Detention and Detainees in Egypt 2003"     Download Now

Detention and Detainees Condition in Egypt 2002
 Fifth Annual Report

Detention and Detainee Conditions in Egypt:
Still the Same
Changes we have observed in Egypt in 2002 have not lead to any significant improvement in the penal system nor to significant amelioration of the deteriorating conditions for prisoners and detainees.  Of concern is the mounting evidence of increased human degradation and wide spread systemic abuse reported in 2002 indicating a continued worsening of conditions for prisoners and detainees within the Egyptian penal system. 

The Condition of Women Prisoners in Egypt

The Universal Declaration on Human Rights which has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 stressed the inherited Dignity of  human beings on equal and impartial basis as well as equality between men and women. Many other international conventions stressed the importance of protecting and respecting the dignity for all human beings especially those in prison or detention.
It is a guiding principle that the aim of the imprisonment and other measures that restrict individual freedom is to protect the society from crime. To achieve such goals, prisons should be facilities that attempt to correct and rehabilitate those confined within.  Correctional facilities should assist prisoners to reintegrate into society after serving their sentence.
 

HRCAP Official Response to the Government of Egypt's Report to the UN the Committee against Torture.
The Egyptian Government submitted its fourth periodical report to the UN Committee Against Torture on 19/11/2001 in fulfillment of its international obligations in accordance with Article 19 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ratified by the Egyptian government, published in issue number 11 of the Official Gazette on 11/11/1982. According to the aforementioned Article " The States Parties shall submit to the Committee, through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, reports on the measures they have taken to give effect to their undertakings under this Convention."

Torture
HHRCAP Official Response to the Government of Egypt's Report to the UN the Committee against Torture.

The Truth                  Download

 The Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRCAP) Official Response to the Government of Egypt's Report to the UN Human Rights Committee
 

The citizen is Egyptian

Torture is no new to police stations. In the late thirties of the 20th century, Abdel-Aziz Pasha Fahmy, head of Egypt's Court of Cassation, described the torture suffered by defendants in police stations as "criminal". It seems that the situation hasn't improved much in the beginning of the twenty-first century. Torture in police stations still constitutes a main characteristic of interrogations and investigations. Those detained in police stations still anticipate with fright the moment they enter the "refrigerator", a place near the head of investigation room where those expected to be tortured are kept. Torture always takes place during late hours in the criminal investigation rooms of police stations and sometimes reaches the stage of pouring
 

The Detention and Detainees condition in Egypt during 2001

Article 148 of the Egyptian Constitution states that “the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt declares the emergency status according to the law. The declaration should be passed to the People’s Assembly within the following fifteen days for approval and if the assembly is in recess, the declaration should be discussed in the first session of the assembly. In all cases, the Emergency Status declaration should be limited to a certain period of time and should not be extended without the approval of the People’s Assembly.” The Second Article of the Emergency Law 162/1958 states “declaring the emergency status and canceling it are only by the order of the president.”

Torture in Egypt A Judicial Reality,,,,,!

The Report Includes A Study Of The Reasons Behind The Spread Of Torture In Egypt And An Analysis Of 1,124 Court Rulings Providing Compensation For Torture Victims.The Report is try to answer these questions :
Does the human rights movement in Egypt need a new report on torture? Can tens of new pages succeed in protecting the physical safety of Egyptian citizens against the various forms of ill-treatment to which they are subjected at the slightest friction with the security authorities? Can these authorities protect the citizens when they are suspected of committing a crime, particularly if the accusations involve posing a threat to the security of the government? Do national human rights organizations need to defend such national capacity when they prepare a new report addressing the state of human rights in Egypt, an act that may involve "exposing a defficiency" of democracy in Egypt?

Coercive Disappearance,,,,,!

This is the HRCAP's second report on coercive disappearance in Egypt and its tenth report within the framework of the program for the amelioration of the conditions of prisoners
The HRCAP believes that the security authorities do not adhere to the controls and restrictions stated in the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code or even the Emergency Law. Through data and testimonies collected by HRCAP personnel while investigating cases .

A New Bastille in Al-Wadi Al-Jadid Prison,,,,,!

The report is the first of a series by the HRCAP on the problems faced by prisoners and detainees in all Egyptian prisons. The grave violations presented in this report threaten the physical and psychological safety of prisoners, and result in grave psychological problems that may have serious consequences when they are released to the outside world. The HRCAP believes that the purpose of detaining offenders is not merely to punish them for their offences against the community, but mainly to rehabilitate them psychologically in order that they may reintegrate into the society as normal citizens. The punitive policy adopted by the Ministry of the Interior makes this rehabilitation difficult.

The Price of Dignity,,,,,!

Have the practices of the Egyptian security forces become untouchable, out of the reach of any criticism and supervision? Have their members, who by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution are responsible for maintaining peace, security and public order and protecting morals, been given impunity and become "above the law"?
Let us ask this question in another way. Have torture and ill-treatment in places of detention in Egypt become overnight just rumors and false news aimed to harm the country's reputation? Are police mal-practices, when they occur, just 'individual' cases? And is it absolutely wrong to generalize with regard to the overall discipline and performance of the security forces?

Violation of Women's Rights in Places of Detention ,,,,,!

In the context of the work carried out by the Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRCAP) for the amelioration of prison conditions, the Center was particularly concerned with the conditions of women in prisons. The present report aims to present a general picture of the conditions of women in prisons. It records the conditions of the Kanater Women's Prison, the main women's prison, as a case study.
The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners states the minimum rights that must be provided for women prisoners, particularly those pregnant or with little children, and the children.

Kingdom of Silence,,,,,!

"My husband was in good health before his detention. He contacted TB in detention, and needs medication constantly for one year. This medication is not available in the prison hospital. He is the only supporter for his family which consists of me and a four-year-old daughter who has never seen her father. This is in addition to his mother and his aged father who is diabetic also. In my last visit to my husband on 14 February 1998,
He cried like a little child when he asked about his only daughter. I told him that she wants to see him and needs him very much. I can live on almost nothing, and of charity, but I need my husband and the father of my daughter. Why they prevent us to visit him. Why they detain him without charge until now."

Doctors Indicted,,,,,!

This report is dedicated to the doctors who fulfill this oath: "I swear to God To fulfill God's teachings in my profession, To maintain people's lives in all stages, and in all circumstances, and to do the best I can to save their lives from death, sickness, pain and anxiety, To maintain people's dignity and protect their secrets, To be always a means for God's mercy, To offer my medical care to those near and those afar, to those good and those wrong, and to friends as well as enemies, To persist seeking knowledge and to use it for the interest of people, not for their harm, To respect those who taught me and teach those younger than me, and to be a brother to all colleagues in the medical profession, To be sincere and faithful, in private and in public, May God be my witness."

Deprivation of The Right of Education,,,,,!

There is, certainly, a great danger threatening the unity of the Egyptian society. This danger is reflected in the spread among a large number of young people of ideologies that advocate the use of violence. These ideas are frequently translated into actions against the structure of the society and the whole political system. The use by the security forces of recurrent and long term detention against those who embrace such ideas has aggravated the situation. What may have been the expression of a disagreement with the existing regime has become an attempt to undermine the whole society and pull it into a vicious circle of violence and counter violence. Confronting these ideas and behavior should not be the responsibility of the security forces alone. All efforts, governmental and non-governmental, must be combined to fight this problem

Over Ten Years of Recurrent Detention ,,,,,!

The HRCAP's Comment on the Minister of the Interior's Statement Before the People's Assembly Committee for Defense and National Security.
Although the HRCAP welcomes the statement of the minister for the major basics it excluded for the rule of law in the state,the Center maintains that what is most important in providing safeguards for prisoners and political detainees is not statements, general principles, or legal and constitutional provisions. Rather, the most important issue is the degree to which public authorities respect such statements, principles and provisions, and the level of rights and safeguards enjoyed by prisoners in reality.

Violation of Prisoners Rights in Wadi Al-Natroun I Prison,,,,,!  

The Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRCAP) issues its forth report on the deterioration of prison conditions in the major Egyptian prisons. It deals with conditions in Wadi Al-Natroun I Prison and records various violations suffered by prisoners and detainees.
The HRCAP is seriously concerned about the continuation of the violations of the rights of prisoners and detainees in Egyptian prisons. The HRCAP, the first center specialized in the study and monitoring of prison conditions in Egypt, believes that there is a persisting need to change the current security policies for the treatment of suspects in prisons and detention places, particularly since the number of prisoners has steadily increased in recent years.

Behind Walls of Oblivion,,,,,!

The detainees, who are about to be forgotten inside the prisons, live in uncertainty, fear and despair. They do not know if they will ever be released or when. What is waiting for them when they are released? Will they be accepted by society once again? How can they deal with their children, from whom they were taken when they were young or in the wombs of their mothers, now that they are no longer children?

Ten Lawless Prisons ,,,,,!

The present report includes the findings of the HRCAP in its monitoring of ten Egyptian prisons in the period between May 1997 and May 1998. These prisons are: Al-Wadi Al-Gadid, Fayoum, Wadi Al-Natroun I, Wadi Al-Natroun II, Istikbal Tora, Leman Tora, High Security, Damanhour, Abu-Zaabal Industrial, and Leman Abu-Zaabal. The report is issued within the context of the Center's ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the conditions of penal institutions, and to pressure the prison authorities to make these institutions fulfill their original role as places for the correction and rehabilitation of prisoners. The HRCAP also considers this report an official notification to the Public Prosecution and to other areas responsible for prisons in Egypt.

Zionism as a Racist Movement

The South African city, Durban, is due to host the World Conference against Racism, which will start on the public level August 28, and on the governmental level from 1-7 September. The conference is targeting the declaration of tolerance and variability as a new concept to the twenty- first century. The Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners, in Egypt, therefore, would like to present this study as part of its contribution to the Durban meeting.

The phenomenon of Coercive disappearance is considered one of the most important problems that facing the international community. Many outstanding procedures  were taken to eliminate such phenomenon .Such a crime is considered  a crime against humanity.

The international community called for each state to take the effective legislative , administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent and terminate acts of enforced disappearance in any territory under its jurisdiction

The credibility of a regime that claims to be a democracy and respect the liberties of its peoples is in large part based on the supremacy of its judiciary which has to occupy a sacred legal position, especially in regard to the verdicts it lays down.

The lawful state is one whereby the law is sovereign and it protects the individual rights and liberties of the people. The state is subservient to the law which is supervised by an impartial and independent judiciary.