"Black Prison Business" .. How the Egyptian police profit from the suffering of prisoners?

“Sisi killed Morsi,” concluded the statement by the Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Executions and the UN Panel on Arbitrary Detention, during the detention in brutal conditions, incommunicado detention for 23 hours a day, forced sleep on a concrete floor, and denial of Treatment and medicine for diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the UN statement explains the reasons that led to the death of former President Mohamed Morsi, a death described by the statement arbitrary killing, the same conditions and the same death suffered by thousands of political prisoners in the prisons of Egypt.

After the release of the UN statement, and in order to beautify the situation, Zia Rashwan, the head of the State Information Service, invited a delegation from the State Security to visit Tora Prison to check on the inmates, announcing in a televised speech: "We have nothing to hide. We will show our paper." A delegation of foreign correspondents and Egyptian public figures arrived in Tora Prison with a visit to the prison accompanied by the Egyptian Interior Minister's assistants. The prison was visited by a red carpet, and the visitors inspected the conditions of the inmates, factories inside the prison which included animal production, goods and furniture, in addition to the prison restaurant, which prepares meals from Including "BBQ" As well as vegetables and fresh fruit from the production of prison farms, as shown by the pictures published in Egyptian newspapers.

In the same context, the Ministry of the Interior, published on Monday, a video that it shows "the features of development and modernization of the Egyptian prison system," where the video showed interviews with prisoners and officials in the prison sector, as well as scenes included in the video of visits by officials and members of parliament to a number of prisons, including Maya Morsi, President of the National Council for Women, and Alaa Abed, chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives, who were accused by jurists in 2016 of involvement in the incidents of torture in 2005 under the rule of Mubarak.

Try to polish the image

However, this image promoted by the Egyptian government, in an attempt to discredit the UN statement accusing it of killing Morsi and exposing thousands of detainees to extremely cruel conditions, is very different from the reality behind the decorations of these artificial visits, says former detainee Imad Mohammed, who informs 25-year-old Maidan , who had spent three years in prison, now wants life only to have his freedom after trying to lose her in prison. This is confirmed by a number of detainees and their relatives who went to the field " Meedan " to investigate the facts of visits in Egyptian prisons.

Imad al-Bireh's experience in prison was not the only one.In Egyptian prisons, there are now about 60,000 political detainees, according to Human Rights Watch, and arrest campaigns are continuing (1), with which the number of detainees and the number of prisons has increased to 68, including 26 prisons have been established since the July coup so far, and with the increase in these prisons, the Ministry of Interior's budgetary allocations for the 2018-2019 fiscal year increased from “41.4 billion pounds to 48.5 billion pounds, and then increased again to 57.5 billion pounds” (2).

At the same time, the government always justifies not building hospitals and schools as a result of the budget deficit (3), although the cost of building a 100-bed hospital is 750 million pounds, according to the Minister of Health (4), while the same amount was used to build the Jamsa Public Prison. 5) The regime continues to build prisons used by the Ministry of Interior as a new investment. In this report, we present stories of four figures, including former detainees, including those of detainees, to talk about only one feature in Egyptian prisons: "The police inside the prisons, how they became a new exploitation tool for the families of the detainees, in addition to Their physical torment in visiting their children and their husbands, and their psychological torment for the absence of their parents.

"The reason" visits of the families of detainees

According to Article 38 of the Prisons Regulation Law: “Every prisoner, whether remanded or sentenced, shall have the right to visit his or her relatives, provided that they follow the procedures established by the Prison Service, namely to be at the time of the visit at 9:00 am, to clearly stamp the visit permit, and not to take prohibited items. By the prison administration, in addition to the prohibition of visiting in the event of a prisoner's violation of prison rules, or his presence in solitary confinement, under medical examination or for reasons of public security. ”6

The list of prisons also provides for two types of visits; "regular visits" without fees, and the visitor should go to the prison representative to allow him to visit the prisoner, which varies from person to person depending on the type of punishment, for men is once a month for those sentenced to life or hard Once every three weeks, those sentenced to imprisonment or imprisonment with labor or transferred from Limanat to public prisons, and women every three weeks, regardless of the type of punishment, and with regard to preventive or simple detention, visit weekly except Friday and public holidays. (7)

There is also a private visit, which is once a month, by applying to the prison administration in return for payment of the required fees for the visit request, then waiting for approval or reply, and the allowed visit time is 60 minutes, and the lawyer of the prisoner is allowed to visit him individually on condition of obtaining written permission The visit shall be prohibited and shall be prohibited from visiting "convicted in cases harmful to the security of the State, except with the written permission of the Presidency of the Prisons Sector, and after consulting the opinion of the security authorities." ).

But the reality in Egyptian prisons is quite different from those ordinances, laws and ornamental words with broad and undefined meanings. Alaa Nasser, a former detainee from 2015 to 2018, tells Meydan that during his incarceration he was unable to take the exams because he moved from prison to prison during his imprisonment, and even after he was released from prison, he still suffers from the same because of the monitoring period. He is now 22 years old, unable to finish his studies or get a job because of the conditions of his detention and monitoring procedures.

Alaa explained to Maidan the difficulty of living inside the prison in the absence of the application of the laws in the prison list, and that it is just ink on paper, saying: "According to the prison list, the fee for special visit permits is 3 pounds, but the opposite is the case. Between 20 and 30 pounds, although this was a burden on my family, but the prison administration does not care about this, it just wants to raise money from the families of detainees in all ways. "

This is confirmed by the mother of the detainee, "Amina Ali," a 20-year-old, and completed a year in its reserve prison, the prison administration refused to enter her textbooks, could not finish her second year in college, and so far the mother does not know the fate of her daughter suspended. Speaking to Meydan , she mentioned the doubling of the special visit permit fees, saying: "Before Eid al-Fitr the permit was 3 pounds, but then suddenly rose to 15 pounds, although the increase was the reason for the increase in expenses, especially as" Amina "has three other siblings but she could not object, so as not to be prevented from seeing her daughter, as well as the families of detainees who did not object to the increase, because the most important need to show their birth, and not important money," she said.

She continues to talk: "Even in regular visits I pay a" bribe ", starting from compulsory riding compulsory for 2 pounds, and after that passed through the three stages of inspection, starting from the" self-inspection ", in which three women stand each take 10 pounds, to avoid To insult them during the inspection, passing through the "traffic inspection", which is similar to the one in the metro station, and here stands four people take each 20 pounds to allow the entry of food bags and clothes, and finally "seal phase and hand over the card" to enter the visit early, and here stand three women Take each one 30 pounds, I mean to enter but I see my daughter and enter eating and demolition to pay a bribe every Espoo Amina's mother complains of the high expenses, especially since she has three other children, who also need an expense, saying: "I can not afford all the expenses, But forced for my daughter. "

The mother of the detainee "Alia Ahmed" also tells that her 19-year-old daughter, a patient with pressure and other neurological disease, often prevented by the prison administration access to medicine, in addition to the entry of textbooks, which prevented her from taking the exams She does not know when her daughter's prison will end, and complains to Meydan of the high increase in the fees for a special visit permit, as well as the bribes paid by “usurper and ably” in a regular visit, such as the kindness fees paid by a forced woman, and she does not ride it due to its crowding, so that she can enter Visit early for her daughter.

However, the former detainee, Emad Mohammed, explains that the surcharges on special visit permits did not exist during his detention, "but were applied after his release from prison." The families of the detainees during my detention were paying a "bribe" in a second way to sit with their children. Longer, because the prison administration allows them to see their birth for 10 minutes, although the prison list allows for an hour. " He continued: "There are also compulsory fees paid by the families of the detainees to ride kindness, because the prison administration prevents the people from walking inside the prison corridor to the place of visit, and the prison administration also prohibits telephone calls between the detainee and his family, whether for or without a phone, and in the case of a telephone with a person inside The prison is punished and a case is fabricated. "

This is in addition to transactions inside the prison, which are only in the currency of "cigarettes", but if the prisoner wants to get food or water, he must obtain from the "canteen" at double prices, explains Emad: The canteen currency is the bonuses, provided that you have money in the prison secretariats, but bribery is to enter anything else, every need in prison pay to live, prison investment for the police .

Canteen ".. investment in prisons"

In a report issued by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights under the title `` Selling in Canteen: Deliberate Impoverishment in Prisons '' published in 2018, the report shed light on the economic exploitation of prisoners through the canteen, and applied this to Scorpion prison during the period from 2016 to 2017. The cantons are mentioned in the list of prisons, not even the bases on which prices have been set, so the prison administration can raise the prices of the simplest goods to maximize profit.

This is confirmed by "Alaa Nasser" to " Meydan " saying: "Canteen prices are not fixed, for example in remote prisons such as" Wadi Natrun "The increase in prices from 50% to 70%, while for nearby prisons such as" Tora "increase The canteen "only sells basic commodities, such as sugar, oil, tea, rice, salt, beans, and tuna, so the prison administration prohibits the entry of these goods until the detainees are forced to buy them from Canteen, although these expenses were a significant increase on the families of the detainees, because they are forced to leave money to us in prison What we need from the cantina. "

"Prisoners with poor physical conditions, or the families of detainees living as far away as Sinai, were dealt with in three ways; assisted by wealthy prisoners, joining a group that helped them with money and food in exchange for their loyalty," Alaa said. They wash the clothes of prisoners in exchange for cigarettes, which is the official currency of the prison. This is for the political prisoner. As for the criminal prisoner, those who do not have the money or cigarettes are treated as "forced labor", cooking, wiping and cleaning the bathrooms and possible any need for money or a pack of cigarettes. "Emad Mohammed" for "m Dan "that during the period of imprisonment" was sold tuna to 15 pounds a box, even though it is outside the prison by 10 pounds, and this is a big increase , both for me even if my financial situation is affordable. "

This is confirmed by the mother of the detainee, "Amina Ali," saying: "The prices are expensive there, means the price of laundry powder to be sold in the prison by 30 pounds inside the canteen at 83 pounds, and mind that we enter the needs for prisoners to buy from the canteen, and not like that, as well. After they opened the slave branch in Al-Qanater prison, they were prevented from entering sweets to sell inside the prison, but despite this I am trying to enter all the food and needs that are with me, in exchange for a bribe to pay people who are standing, and Pseb in the prison secretariats money, but because the expenses remained a lot Ali and Moqbash are able to take it. " On the other hand, says the mother of the detainee, "Alia Ahmed": "I am forced Asib my daughter Floss in prison secretariats to buy water bottles for drinking and personal use from the canteen, because my daughter told me that the prison water electrifying .. And a bottle of water outside the prison for 3 pounds and in the canteen For 10 pounds, I have additional expenses along with the expenses of medicine and food that he enters each week. "

The remand rooms are furnished .. "Fancouch" police

Article 14 on remand in custody, as amended in 2015, stipulates that “remand prisoners shall be entitled to reside in places separate from those of other prisoners. Remand prisoners may be permitted to stay in a furnished room for an amount to be determined by the Assistant Minister of the Prisons Authority at least 15 pounds per day. In accordance with the procedures and rules established by the Rules of Procedure ". However, the law restricts this article to the following extent: “To the extent that places and missions permit to imprisonment”, this means that “in the absence of places or missions in prison, there is no right for the remanded person to sit in these rooms or object to their absence”.

When Maidan asked about these "furnished" rooms, former detainee Alaa Nasser marveled: "I never sat in the remand room. Room D is in the prison list, but the room allowed is the pillar, 4 x 6 meters." 50 prisoners, where I sat for 12 days, are in prison 440 in Wadi Natrun, and there is no ventilation .. The other room is the disciplinary room, especially for those who commit offenses inside the prison, the punishment is 15 days, and the food is half a loaf, and a piece of cheese Small, a bottle of water, a bucket to eliminate the need. "

Alaa continued: "For the other prisons that I went through, such as Scorpion 2, and Mazraa Prison, I got a blanket and a mattress, while the prisons" Lehman Tora "," Supplement "," Banha "," Abu Zaabal "," Appeal "," 440 "I received nothing and the room was empty," he said. "In the prison there is no need for a bed," the tiles are "bacon bed," Emad Mohammed told Meydan , but added that he had received a blanket before deportation. From the oath, he said: "The treatment of criminals is much better than that of politicians. They are allowed to enter a fan, television and newspapers, but for us it is forbidden as punishment, and for humane treatment it is a bit desolate because The politicians and Evin Lad people and educated, unlike the criminal. "

The mother of the detainee, "Amina Ali," marveled after hearing the furnished remand room, saying: "I do not know about this room, although my daughter has been in remand for a year, but sitting in a ward with 40 prisoners, and she and another girl sleep on a bed length 40 She said that her daughter went to the prison warden to want to sleep on her own bed. The response came: "If I had to hold the air, I would breathe so that she would die so that she would die." He refused to let her sleep on her own bed. She continued: "I tried to provide her with a mattress in any way, and succeeded in renting a mattress, pillow, blanket and refrigerator to put food, in exchange for a cartridge of cigarettes a week for 200 pounds, and a fan entered my daughter, after the prison administration refused to enter every time, I left her In the prison secretariats for a fee of 30 pounds, and finally succeeded in bringing them in for a bribe of 200 pounds. "

While the mother of the detainee, "Alia Ahmed," also did not know the room of remand furnished furnished, and stated that the room where her daughter was sitting room "revenue", and allocated to new prisoners, remained for 18 days, and in many times her daughter was sleeping while standing, given “Then my daughter moved to the criminal ward despite being a political detainee.” When she asked her daughter about her condition inside the ward, she told her, “Mama, what do you ask? I mean, I am sitting in a criminal ward, with the diversity of manners and drugs. "

Alia's mother complains about her daughter's bad condition and bad psychological condition inside the prison because she is sitting in this ward, which has 12 female prisoners. The prison administration refused to allow her daughter to change this ward, in addition to preventing her from renting a blanket and mattress. The politicians rent them for a cigarette cartridge, which she buys for her daughter from the prison canteen for 200 pounds. "

"Fear" prevents parents from complaining

Article 56 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that “Prison is a prison for rehabilitation and rehabilitation. Prisons and places of detention shall be subject to judicial supervision, prohibiting any violation of human dignity or endangering the health of the human person. About them "(11). But these words are just ink on paper that has nothing to do with it, as explained by Khalaf Bayoumi, director of the Shehab Center for Human Rights, told Meedan : "There are a lot of complaints reaching the center because of the large amounts paid by the people During the visit and the two cantons, but many of them refuse to file a formal complaint, so as not to entail the ban from visiting, so the legal way to stop these abuses will achieve nothing. "

This was also confirmed by human rights lawyer Raouf Issa, as well as the increase in fees for private visits, and pointed to the existence of the system of reserve rooms, but dealt with "unofficially for some people", and despite the suffering and oppression suffered by detainees and their families and their families, the brigade stated Zakaria al-Ghamri, Egypt's assistant interior minister for the prison sector, said in 2018 that a prisoner received a monthly salary of between 3,000 and 6,000 pounds for their work in prison factories. (12)

The sources with whom Meedan communicates during the report confirm that political detainees are barred from working permanently, and at times even prevented from exercising. Al-Ghamri's statement was not the first to beautify the condition of prisoners. The visit of the Human Rights Committee of the Egyptian Parliament to prisons in 2017-2018 (13) (14) showed that life inside the prisons is a hotel life. The Human Rights Council said that in July 2019 the council had repeatedly requested a visit to prisons, but so far it has not been allowed to visit. (15)

The reports issued by the Human Rights Centers and the testimonies of lawyers specialized in the cases of political detainees in Egypt about their oppression, torture and psychological and physical deformations contradict the image promoted by the Human Rights Committee in Parliament about the welfare of prisons. تعرضت للضرب في أنحاء كثيرة من جسدها (16)، وما حدث أيضا للناشط "علاء عبد الفتاح" الذي تعرض للضرب والتجريد من ملابسه، والأمر نفسه حدث للمحامي ومؤسس مركز عدالة للحقوق والحريات "محمد الباقر" الذي جُرّد من ملابسه، ومُنع من شراء مياه نظيفة وطعام من كانتي Prison n.

In prisons, not only torture (17), but also intentional homicide as a result of medical negligence in prisons, between 8 and 2018 died as a result of medical negligence 819 prisoners, and in 2019 the number of deaths to 22 prisoners (18). The Egyptian regime continues to deny the existence of abuses in Egyptian prisons. This situation seems to continue for a long time, because the prisons in Egypt are no longer just the hell of opponents of the military regime, but have turned into a new type of investment, which yields a satisfactory profit for police secretaries, officers and prison staff. Republic "pay for live".

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Margins:

Names within the report are borrowed at the request of sources.