At least 24 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants died inside Egyptian police stations, detention centers, and facilities between December 2025 and July 2026, a human rights report released on Sunday revealed, with 75% of the deceased holding official international protection documents or legal paperwork.
The report, titled “Death Under Guard,” published by the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE), bases its findings on an extensive review of police records, official files, and medical reports, alongside testimonies from victims’ families, eyewitnesses, and detention survivors. It examines the circumstances of deaths linked directly to arrest, transport, and administrative detention procedures prior to deportation.
According to data presented in the report, 18 of the 24 documented victims—meaning 75%—were officially registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or held identification documents tied to international protection procedures.
Sudanese nationals comprised the largest proportion of documented cases, accounting for 16 deaths. RPE noted that this concentration serves as a alarming indicator, raising serious questions regarding the extent to which Egyptian authorities recognize UNHCR-issued protection documents and the legal guarantees applied during administrative stops and inspection sweeps.
The report identified a geographical concentration of documented deaths in specific detention centers in Cairo. Four deaths occurred at the Ain Shams police station, while three were recorded at Nasr City 3 police station. RPE stressed that this concentration demands an immediate and independent review of detention conditions, medical care, and causes of death within these specific facilities.
Monitoring data revealed a record peak in mortality rates during February and April 2026. These two months alone accounted for 14 deaths—representing 70% of all cases with known dates—led by February, which registered seven concurrent deaths across several police stations.
RPE attributed this surge directly to the immediate repercussions of intensified security campaigns and the detention of individuals over forced administrative delays. In several instances, authorities detained individuals who held official, verified appointments to renew their residency documents stretching into 2027.
The report highlighted specific human cases documented by researchers. Among them was a female asylum seeker from South Sudan who died at Helwan Hospital after her health severely deteriorated while authorities transferred her between the Aswan and 15th of May police stations in preparation for her deportation. Following her death, authorities continued to detain her two minor children inside the detention facility awaiting deportation.
The report also documented the death of Al-Nazir Al-Sadiq, an 18-year-old Sudanese youth, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at the Badr police station. Authorities had held Al-Sadiq for 25 days in an open-air courtyard without blankets to protect him from the winter cold, housing him alongside adult criminal detainees.
RPE documented recurring indicators of severe negligence, delayed emergency medical care, extreme overcrowding, and inadequate ventilation inside detention facilities. Documented cases included children, women, the elderly, and individuals with chronic medical conditions, alongside evidence pointing to ill-treatment or torture, and a complete absence of official information regarding the cause of death in multiple incidents.
In July 2026, RPE submitted an official memorandum to the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) detailing several death cases and evidence of ill-treatment. In an official response sent this August, the NCHR stated that it officially contacted the Public Prosecution to open investigations into the reported incidents.
RPE concluded its report by urgently demanding that the Public Prosecution launch independent and transparent investigations into all documented deaths, while making forensic reports accessible to the victims’ families and their legal representatives to establish the truth.
Additionally, RPE called on the Ministry of Interior to immediately halt arrest and administrative detention campaigns targeting refugees and non-Egyptians.
The organization urged authorities to guarantee regular medical examinations, secure emergency healthcare and immediate hospital transfers, improve physical conditions inside places of detention, and enforce special protections for children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
