Egyptian prisoners subjected to mass beatings after protests: HRW

Egyptian security forces stormed prison cells in Alexandria attacking in November, injuring hundreds of political prisoners, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.

Inmates at Borg al-Arab Prison in Alexandria were assaulted by prison guards with batons, sticks, teargas and pepper spray, causing burns and fractures, after they protested poor conditions and humiliating treatment.

One prisoner has possibly suffered brain trauma, causing memory loss, HRW said on Saturday.

Lawyers said the prisoners believed the Interior Ministry's Central Security Forces probably provided support.

"Instead of investigating complaints of abusive treatment and poor conditions, Egyptian authorities attacked and beat the prisoners," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at the rights group.

"Egyptian authorities are responsible for the well-being of everyone in their custody and have a duty to investigate if prison or security officials cause them harm, and to hold those responsible to account."

Following the attacks, on at least three days, prison authorities transferred at least 250 inmates, including some who were injured, to three other prisons - Minya, Gamasa, and Wadi al-Natroun - all far from Alexandria, which inmates and their families consider a punishment.

When officials responsible for investigating abuses take no action in the face of widespread complaints, it reinforces how little the rule of law seems to mean in Egypt today

HRW interviewed with family of inmates and their lawyers.

The relatives said authorities threw away inmates' belongings, including utensils, hygiene products, clothes, and medicine, and then transferred them and dozens of other inmates in batches to other prisons.

The prison authorities handcuffed and blindfolded inmates in their cells before forcing them into transfer vans.

Families and lawyers have also alleged prosecutors refused to acknowledge and investigate complaints of mass beatings.

Neither the interior ministry nor the prosecutor general's office released any statement on the events, alleged to have occurred in the week of 13 November, and the prosecutor general has not responded to a 16 December letter from HRW requesting information.

"When officials responsible for investigating abuses take no action in the face of widespread complaints, it reinforces how little the rule of law seems to mean in Egypt today," Stork said.

In September, HRW documented the "shocking abuses" of detainees at Egypt's notorious Scorpion Prison.

Last June, images of detainees crammed into a police cell and literally piled on top of each other in Cairo went viral in Egypt, causing public outcry at the conditions of detainees in the country.