Seven rights organisations filed a lawsuit on Tuesday before the administrative judiciary, suing President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar for not closing the infamous Al-Aqrab prison.
The lawsuit contested the president and the minister and demanded the closure of the prison that is located within the Tora prison complex in southern Cairo.
Wives of five detainees in Al-Aqrab are plaintiffs in the case that was filed by the NGOs, including El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture, Hisham Mubarak Center for Law, and the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) among others.
Doaa Mostafa from the ECRF told Daily News Egypt on Wednesday that the lawsuit states the prison violates regulations of the prison authority, as its officials do not allow visitations or physical exercise for prisoners.
“At first, we were demanding visitation rights for prisoners. Even if they are convicts they shouldn’t be deprived of their constitutional rights,” she added.
“But since there was no response to our demands and the conditions in the prison are getting worse, we had to call for the closure of the prison,” Doaa continued.
No session date has been assigned to the lawsuit yet.
Nasser Amin, a member of the semi-official National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), previously described the prison to Daily News Egypt: “under very strict guardianship; its administration is committing several violations concerning prisoners’ rights, this needs to be improved promptly.”
