Human rights activists and families of detainees began on Tuesday posting on social media platforms about the practice of solitary confinement by narrating the stories of detainees who have been suffering alone for several years and months, according to a statement from Freedom for the Brave on Facebook.
The statement collected testimonies from family members and friends of detainees about the poor conditions inside the solitary confinement, which are mainly met by negligence from the concerned authorities.
According to the statement, as of 2011 the United Nations defines the practice as ”torture criminalised by law”. It refers to detainees in the United States as it has the highest recorded violations of this kind.
The activists’ posted about the practice using the hashtag #No_To_Solitary_Confinement and posting the names and conditions of some prominent detainees. This includes the revolutionary activist Ahmed Douma who has been detained in solitary confinement for three months, lawyer Malek Adly for one month and journalist Youssef Shaaban for eight months.
The majority of detainees in solitary confinement are not allowed to receive food or medicine from their families, and also prevented from receiving medical care.
Regarding the harm caused by such a practice, the statement explained that solitary confinement can cause severe psychological and physical problems, and some cases it can lead to death or suicide.
The statement concluded that solitary confinement in prisons is a crime against humanity that needs more attention from media and society to save its victims.
Solitary confinement is type of imprisonment that prison officers resort to it when punishing. Prisoners are prohibited from contact with any individual by being isolating in a small room.
