The Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence has presented documents stamped by prosecution lawyers confronting the Interior Ministry’s denial of a detention camp for minors in Banha.
One of the documents presented was related to a lawyer for one of the minors held in the facility, who was demanding the entrance of textbooks necessary for the minor to study for the “Thanweya Amma”.
Another document was sent to the prosecution requesting a medical examination to be conducted on another child for a “dislocated shoulder”.
In response to the presented documents, Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif reiterated the ministry’s denial of the facility’s existence, noting that whatever is raised on this matter is groundless.
Abdel Latif stressed that minors are held in juvenile centres, and that there is no place to detain people in Central Security Forces camp.
Nadeem Center lawyer, Halim Henish, who is working on the case, noted that this is not the only unofficial detention camp for minors, as such detention camps exist across Egypt. He added that the two documents are officially sealed, which is evidence that the Interior Ministry’s denials are not true and that the camp exists.
The Center reported earlier in December that about 600 minors are held in a Central Security Forces camp in Banha. The minors are aged between 14 and 17 years, all of whom are held on “pending charges”. Some have been held in detention for over eight months, with their families barred from visiting them despite having a permit from the prosecution.
Ibrahim Al-Sawy, the father of a detained minor and a Muslim Brotherhood member, said that his son, 15-year-old Akram, has been detained since September. He said his son was taken by security forces, who have been extending the period of his detention every 15 days.
Al-Sawy said that his son has been charged with blocking roads, affiliating with a banned group and resisting authorities. He added that while his son took part in “peaceful protests”, he was never involved in violence.
In November, 78 minors were sentenced to between two to five years imprisonment for being members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and participating in unauthorised protests. However, the sentenced minors released a statement claiming their exposure to violations.
