Egypt’s Aqrab Prison Hell: Slow Death, Chemicals Sprayed on Hundreds of Political Prisoners

Egypt’s Aqrab Prison Hell: Slow Death, Chemicals Sprayed on Hundreds of Political Prisoners

Aqrab Prison detainees suffer extreme humiliation and brutal abuse from the prison administration almost daily, amid fears of a repeat of slow-death atrocities in this notorious jail.



Ahmed Aref, Muslim Brotherhood media spokesman, revealed in remarks he made before his trial on trumped up charges that detainees suffered violations in Aqrab Prison, including torture, chemical materials sprayed on them and being starved, for political extortion.


Essam El-Erian, Freedom and Justice Party vice-chairman, said Saturday that the situation in the prison is a total disgrace, expressing fears for his own life.


Meanwhile, Talaat Fahmi, Muslim Brotherhood media spokesman, said in a statement on the latest atrocities in Aqrab Prison: "The heinous crime committed by the coup gang, burning the innocent abductees (Aqrab Prison detainees) with chemicals, is clearly a crime against humanity.


"The Muslim Brotherhood considers this an official statement to the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, as well as international human rights organizations, fair-minded people and all human rights advocates in the world, urging everyone to do their duty to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.


"The group reaffirms its steadfastness in all its fair stances. It will never compromise rights of the martyrs or the wounded. It will not abandon demands for the release of the detainees and the recovery of all their rights. It will not acknowledge or in any way recognize this treacherous military coup in Egypt."


Last week, the Egyptian Wassat Party condemned widespread violations at Aqrab Prison, as suffered by Essam Sultan, the party’s MP – currently incarcerated in the notorious jail.


Repeatedly, local and international human rights reports indicate widespread brutal abuses in murderous Scorpion (Aqrab) Prison, which includes hundreds of coup opponents. These violations led in the past three years to slow and painful deaths of a number of leaders and symbols opposed to the 2013 military coup.