Egypt’s Badr 3 Prison Under Fire: 15 Suicide Attempts, Hunger Strikes, and Disappearances Signal Deep Humanitarian Crisis
Mounting reports of suicide attempts, torture, and enforced disappearances in Egypt’s high-security Badr 3 prison fuel growing national and international outrage. Rights groups warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
Watan-In a chilling revelation, 15 suicide attempts were reported within just two weeks at Egypt’s Badr 3 Prison, located 66 kilometers from Cairo, according to rights organizations under the “Article 55 Alliance.” Among the latest cases on July 4th:
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Dr. Abdel Rahim Mohamed, a cardiologist, tried to slit his throat in front of surveillance cameras.
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Reda Abu El-Ghait attempted to bite through his veins.
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Prominent economist Dr. Abdullah Shehata tried to hang himself.
The report describes these incidents as part of a collective cry for help from detainees trapped in inhumane and isolated conditions, with no visits, outdoor time, or medical care, some suffering over 10 years of total isolation.
Ongoing Hunger Strike
Since June 20, many political detainees launched an open hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions. Key figures include:
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Dr. Mohamed El-Beltagy
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Dr. Abdel Rahman El-Bar
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Osama Morsi (son of late President Mohamed Morsi)
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Khaled El-Azhary, former Minister of Labor
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Amin El-Sirfy, Assaad El-Sheikha, Yousry Anbar, Amr Zaki, and Sobhi Saleh.
They demand an end to psychological and physical torture, medical neglect, and denial of basic rights.
Health Deterioration & Legal Ignorance
Many detainees have suffered loss of consciousness, hypoglycemic comas, and medical crises, aggravated by lack of nutrition, age, and chronic illness.
During a court session on July 5, detainees asked to document their declining health. Judge Mohamed El-Saeed El-Sherbiny ignored the requests and renewed their detention—a move seen as part of a judiciary complicit in systemic abuse.
Systematic Abuse and State Neglect
The prison, led by State Security officer Marwan Hammad, reportedly responded to protests with mockery and silence, telling detainees: “No one remembers you outside.” Rights groups describe Badr 3 not as a prison, but a death camp where state-sanctioned violations rise to the level of crimes against humanity.
The Article 55 Alliance and other groups stress that these violations violate Egypt’s constitution and international treaties, including the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Calls for Action
The rights groups call on:
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Egypt’s Interior Ministry, National Security, and Prosecutor General to investigate conditions immediately.
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United Nations and international bodies to launch urgent missions to Badr 3.
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Immediate access to detainees, medical care, and family visits.
Rising Death Toll & Disappearances
Between 2021–2024, rights group “Not Subject to Statute of Limitations” documented 137 deaths in custody due to torture, neglect, or denial of care. Badr 3 is cited among the worst.
In a related case, 7 detainees disappeared from a cell in Al-Ashar Min Ramadan Prison in June 2025, following a violent nighttime raid. Families report no knowledge of their fate, fueling fears of rendition to Wadi El-Natroun or extrajudicial punishment.
Revolutionary Socialists’ Statement
The Revolutionary Socialists issued a strong statement under the title “Save the Prisoners of Badr 3 Now”, asserting that the Egyptian regime uses prisons like Badr 3 to crush opposition physically and mentally.
The group declared full solidarity with all political prisoners, regardless of ideology, and demanded:
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Immediate release of detainees
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Medical care access
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Prison oversight by independent committees
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