The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) has petitioned the public prosecutor for a criminal probe into human rights abuses at Badr 3 prison. The filing was prompted by a public appeal from the wife of a detained Muslim Brotherhood leader, who reported a total blackout regarding her husband’s medical status.
In a Facebook post, Sanaa Abdel Gawad wife of Mohamed El-Beltagy, revealed that he had been transferred to a hospital without the family’s knowledge and that all communication had been severed.
Sanaa also alleged deteriorating conditions inside Badr, citing deaths, untreated cancer cases, and what she called “severe hardship from freezing temperatures” after prison authorities confiscated detainees’ blankets.
The complaint, submitted by EIPR director Hossam Bahgat, urged prosecutors to hold those responsible for confirmed abuses accountable and to uphold the rights of detainees as enshrined in Egypt’s constitution and correctional law.
The filing, listed under complaint number 5640/2026, calls for an urgent inspection of Badr 3’s facilities, mirroring a similar visit made by the prosecution to Badr 2 earlier this month.
Bahgat stressed that the move seeks to reinstate the prosecution’s constitutional mandate to supervise prisons and safeguard detainees’ dignity, warning that documented violations amount to serious breaches of legal protections against physical and psychological harm.
EIPR’s complaint relies in part on a report it published two months ago titled “Propaganda vs. Reality: Systematic Violations of Inmates’ Rights in Badr ‘Model’ Prison,” which documented testimonies from former prisoners, family members of current detainees, and legal experts, as well as reviews of official state reports.
Among the violations listed, the complaint highlights the complete ban on visits for certain inmates since their transfer to Badr 3 in 2022, in direct violation of Article 38 of the prison organization law.
It also noted that the Interior Ministry has arbitrarily reduced visitation rights to once per month for all inmates, instead of the legally mandated twice a month for convicts and weekly visits for pre-trial detainees. Moreover, authorities now force visits to be conducted through glass partitions using phones—restrictions imposed without legal justification.
The complaint further raised alarm over health conditions inside the prison, particularly for elderly inmates and those with chronic illnesses. It cited reports of medical neglect, a lack of specialist doctors, the absence of routine checkups, and delays in performing urgent surgeries—even when families offered to cover the costs.
In addition to healthcare violations, EIPR said Badr 3 prison authorities have denied university-enrolled detainees the right to sit for exams. The complaint accuses officials of either refusing to transfer inmates to designated testing centers or ignoring requests altogether, resulting in students losing an entire academic year.
Other grievances included in the filing involve the installation of surveillance cameras inside cells, which EIPR says constitutes a violation of privacy. It also cited complaints about undrinkable water, insufficient access to outdoor exercise, and limited exposure to sunlight, all of which have negatively impacted detainees’ mental and physical health.
The last official visit to the Badr complex took place in September 2024, when public prosecutor Mohamed Shawky toured the facility’s cells, medical units, and exercise yards.
At the time, his office stated it had received complaints from inmates and ordered prison officials to avoid repeating them in the future.
However, EIPR contends that the most serious abuses remain unresolved, with families and rights organizations continuing to raise alarms over the prison’s conditions.
