Imprisoned Muslim Brothers In 2008

Egyptian prisons host at present about 250 Muslim Brotherhood detainees.

The majority of those detainees have obtained release warrants either by prosecutions or by civil courts, which all dropped charges that range from money laundering to the most typical charge against MB, namely belonging to a banned organization. The crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members across Egypt is reinforced by the exceptional emergency law which permits authorities to round up suspects without arrest warrants or any charges, and allows detainees to stay in prisons without standing trial for long periods.  

The crackdown on the MB by the Egyptian regime has been dismissed by think tanks and rights groups as well as MB as a failed policy that indicates its vulnerability and failure to confront peaceful political opponents in a transparent democratic environment.

To begin with, the “Natron Vally’s” prison in “Monofeya” province has about a hundred of the MB members from different provinces. Their arrest decision was issued by the interior ministry (20 from Albehera, 26 from Alsharqiye, nine from Almonofeya, 18 from Kafr Elsheikh, 12 from Alex, two from Algharbeya , six from Elmansora, and one from each of Bani Souef, Minia, Fayoum, Helwan. They stood before many different prosecutions which issued resolutions of their release.

Prison of Arab Tower northern Egypt has 41 detainees from MB members from Alex and “Marsa Matrouh” provinces in detention pending investigation, while there are seven other detainees inside police stations who obtained a release decision which was not implemented by the Interior Ministry.

Most of them were arrested after demonstrations organized by the MB condemning the blockade imposed on Gaza Strip.

In “Zaqaziq” public prison in “Sharqiya” province 40 MB detainees were arrested at different times and stood before the prosecution which accused them of joining a group founded against the law, as well as holding strikes condemning what happens in Gaza Strip.

Demo Prison in “Fayoum” province, known with its bad reputation and serious security restrictions towards MB members and their relatives, hosts 14 detainees who were brought before the general prosecution of “Fayoum” on Gaza”s issue.

While Tora prison has around 40 detainees, Tora Farm prison has the most famous 18 leaders of MB, after the military sentence of last April. Amongst them Khairat Al Shater, the second deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, Dr. Mohammed Hesham Elsouly, Director of “Ismailia” Administrative Bureau, and 18 others detained in Almahkoum prison, one of Tora’s prisons.

They were arrested and brought before the prosecution because of Gaza protests. Inside the same prison Dr. Sayid Abdelhamid, the previous MP, is imprisoned. He had two release resolutions that haven’t been implemented until now.

Dr.  Gamal Abdelsalam “head of Relief Committee of the Arab Doctors Union” is detained in the same prison, after being arrested and brought before the prosecution which accused him of many charges, which he described as “ridiculous.”

There is also another branch of Tora prison called The Agriculture prison, which has the blogger Mohamed Adel, founder of “Meit” blog. He was arrested in the street and detained in State Security Investigations for a period of 17 days in which he was severely tortured.