Egypt Watch

New detainee dies of cold in Egypt

Political detainee Alaa Saad has died in Burj al-Arab prison in Alexandria due to the
inhuman conditions of detention and the deliberate medical negligence of the prison
administration, according to the Al-Shehab Centre for Human Rights.
Alaa suffered three days ago with severe pneumonia as a result of the prison
administration’s ban on blankets and heavy clothes. They then neglected to treat and
transfer him to the hospital or administer any medication until his condition
worsened and he died.
The centre holds the Burj al-Arab Prison Administration and the Ministry of Interior
responsible for Alaa’s death, and the centre called on the Public Prosecution to
investigate the death of the citizen and refer those involved so they can be held
accountable.
This is the second case of the death of a political detainee as a result of the severe
cold, after the death of the detainee Mahmoud Saleh inside the Scorpion last week.
According to a statement issued by the centre, the Ministry of Interior is withdrawing
all heating devices from prisons, confiscating winter clothes, reducing food
quantities, and preventing detainees from exposure to the sun, which exposes them
to many diseases and causes a slow death.
Scorpion detainees launched a hunger strike in protest against these inhumane
conditions that claimed the lives of their colleague and many bloggers and activists.
The families of political detainees launched a blogging campaign and launched the
hashtag #ColdCells.
They demanded an end to the violations and the closure of the Scorpion.