Leaked Letter from 65 Egyptian Political Prisoners: “Return to Al-Wadi Prison Means Certain Death”
Inmates describe “systematic torture,” inhumane detention conditions, and forced transfers to what they call the “Death Prison”; Egypt's Interior Ministry denies all allegations.
Watan-The Egyptian Network for Human Rights has published a leaked letter from 65 political prisoners refusing their forced transfer to Al-Wadi Al-Jadeed Prison, which they describe as a “death prison.” They had been previously held in Borg El-Arab Prison.
In their letter titled “When Death Is More Merciful Than Forced Transfer to Al-Wadi Prison,” the inmates said they were forcibly transferred despite pleas to stay, claiming the Egyptian Prison Authority insisted on the move.
They described humiliating and violent treatment upon arrival at the desert-based Al-Wadi prison: prisoners were blindfolded, shackled, and beaten in a brutal “welcome” ceremony known internally as tashreefa. They were stripped of their clothing (except for underwear), shaved by force, and made to relieve themselves in the open under guard surveillance—actions they called a gross violation of human dignity.
Prisoners Describe Al-Wadi as “Quarter of Death” Amid Torture, Starvation, and Suicide Attempts
The letter details inhumane detention conditions inside what’s known as the “Mosaffa” (armored cell): an overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and unsanitary space holding 60–70 inmates in a space meant for 20. There is no clean water, rampant infestation, and spoiled or insufficient food.
Other abuses include:
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Denial of prayer and ablution
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One bottle of water per day per inmate
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Forced public defecation
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Arbitrary solitary confinement
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Physical and psychological torture
They describe Ward 4 as the harshest, known as the “Quarter of Death,” where:
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Torture is routine
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Access to the canteen is denied
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No hot water or family-delivered clothes are allowed
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Protests or hunger strikes are met with deadly violence, as in the case of detainee Tarek Abu Al-Azm, who reportedly died under torture
According to the letter, inmates are regularly stripped of Qur’ans, books, and watches, subjected to violent inspections, and denied cold drinking water. “Disciplinary wards” are described as spaces of “no return”—where prisoners are held nearly naked, forced to stand daily, and fed unfit food tossed on the floor.
The prisoners reported hundreds of suicide attempts out of desperation and total lack of accountability.
They are calling for:
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An immediate halt to forced transfers
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Relocation to prisons that meet minimum humane conditions
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Proximity to families to reduce travel burden and psychological toll
Detainees Urge Investigation as Egypt Denies Abuse Allegations and Defends Prison System
They appealed to local and international human rights organizations, urging urgent investigation, intervention, and accountability for what they described as crimes of torture and violations of both the Egyptian Constitution and international human rights law.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior denied the letter’s authenticity, accusing the “terrorist group” (a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood) of fabricating the story to “mislead the public and undermine the penal reform system.”
An official source claimed prisoners are relocated in accordance with regulations and that the facilities meet “international human rights standards” and operate under judicial oversight.
