CAIRO, 7 June 2005 — About 300 Egyptian prisoners began a hunger strike on May 26 to protest detention conditions and mistreatment by prison administration, a human rights organization said on Sunday.
The Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRAAP) said in a complaint filed to Prosecutor General Maher Abdel Wahed that the prisoners in Wadi Al Natroun prison 2, 100 kilometers north of Cairo, began the hunger strike for better conditions.
“Many of the prisoners should have been released sometime ago and some secured court orders to be set free but the authorities ignored these orders,” the complaint said.
“The prisoners were mistreated by the prison administration, denied family visits and medical treatment and some have been tortured.” Muhammad Zarei, president of the rights group, told Arab News that an inspection team of the organization has paid a visit to the prison and verified the complaints they received from the prisoners’ relatives.
