Egyptian political prisoner families live in fear amid spiralling detention abuses

Members of the Morsi government and other perceived political dissidents endure particularly harsh detention conditions resulting in a spate of deaths and suicide attempts

In this file photo, people flash the Rabaa sign (four-fingered hand sign by anti-coup activists ), next to a poster of late Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi during a symbolic funeral ceremony on 18 June 2019 at Fatih mosque in Istanbul (AFP)

People flash the Rabaa sign (four-fingered hand sign by anti-coup activists), next to a poster of late Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi during a symbolic funeral ceremony on 18 June 2019 at Fatih mosque in Istanbul (AFP)

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Imprisoned Egyptian political dissidents are enduring particularly brutal detention conditions at a notorious facility, leaving families fearing for their lives amid a spike in suicide attempts and deaths of detainees from medical negligence in recent months.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has largely suppressed any opposition since he came to power in a coup in 2013. But members of the Muslim Brotherhood government of Sisi's predecessor, late President Mohamed Morsi, have been at the receiving end of the worst crackdown.

Middle East Eye spoke with sources close to the families of two opposition figures detained in Badr 3 prison, but on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal by the government.

The family of the first detainee has not heard from him for nearly a decade.

They have been barred from visiting him, and have not received any communication from the prison regarding his condition throughout his imprisonment, only gleaning scraps of information from news reports or through friends who had been inside the facility.

“They need to visit them, just visit them,” one source close to the family said. “It's not impossible, it’s easy for the authorities.”

“Imagine - you haven’t seen your father, brother or son for 12 years?”

'Imagine - you haven’t seen your father, brother or son for 12 years?'

- source close to family of detainee

The Badr prison complex, located some 70 kilometres northeast of Cairo, opened in December 2021. It is officially named the Badr Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.

It includes three prisons, including Badr 3, where many high-profile political prisoners have been held after being transferred from the notorious Tora Prison complex in mid-2022.

A second source close to the family of another detainee said they have been barred from seeing them for over a decade, and that the family fears for their detainee relative's life due to his need for medical treatment.

“There’s huge psychological damage on the families and kids," said the source, explaining that the children of some detainees are now teenagers or adults after more than a decade, while grandfathers have missed the births of their grandchildren.

Suicide attempts and deaths in custody

Rights groups have long raised the alarm about rapidly deteriorating conditions at Badr 3, which have prompted detainees to launch multiple hunger strikes over numerous abuses including visitation bans, 24-hour exposure to fluorescent lights, medical negligence and torture.

The situation is particularly stark for political prisoners, including Brotherhood members, who, unlike regular inmates, are routinely denied medical care and visitation rights, and are often held in solitary confinement.

Second detainee death in Egypt police custody recorded within 24 hours

In May, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) reported that 13 detainees had died so far in 2025 - most of them political prisoners due to medical negligence held at Badr 3.

The prison has also overseen a surge in detainee suicide attempts in recent months, with rights groups reporting in July that 15 prisoners had tried to kill themselves in just two weeks.

One source close to the families of detainees told MEE that the management of Badr 3 had been replaced with “officials known for even harsher practices”, and that since this change, the flow of information from inside the prison has been cut off, raising concerns about the deteriorating health of those on hunger strike.

“Their lives are now believed to be at serious risk,” the source said.

They added that the families of journalists and bloggers who attempted to report on the situation in the prison had been targeted by police raids.

‘Psychological damage’

Many of those held at Badr 3 have faced numerous cases, even after being cleared of charges.

It is common practice by the Egyptian authorities to “recycle” charges against political prisoners at the end of their prison terms, trapping them indefinitely in arbitrary detention.

“Other inmates serve their time and are released, which is not the case with political prisoners…their release is a hostage negotiation situation,” Samar Elhussieny, executive director of the Egyptian Human Rights Forum told MEE.

Those at Badr 3 have spent most of their detention in solitary confinement.

'Other inmates serve their time and are released, which is not the case with political prisoners…their release is a hostage negotiation situation'

-Samar Elhussieny, Egyptian Human Rights Forum

“It’s clear that it's a political decision to keep perceived political opponents to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in prison for as long as possible, by any means necessary,” the second source told MEE. “And that means fabricating charges, recycling charges, not allowing them to go through a proper trial.”

The authorities’ targeting of Muslim Brotherhood figures and other perceived political opponents of Sisi extends to their family members, who have faced detention, prosecution and terrorism designations which bar them from travel.

Children of Brotherhood figures who have faced targeting by the authorities include Anas al-Beltagy who has spent nearly 11 years behind bars, solely due to the fact he is the son of Mohamed el-Beltagy, a prominent Brotherhood figure and former parliamentarian.

Amnesty International warned in November that el-Beltagy’s physical and mental health had sharply deteriorated after he was held in solitary confinement following his participation in a hunger strike.

Aisha Khairat al-Shater, daughter of senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat el-Shater, and her husband, lawyer Mohamed Abo Horeira, were sentenced to 15 years in prison in March on charges stemming from her family affiliations.

Amnesty reported that the Egyptian authorities had held her in prolonged solitary confinement and denied her access to medical care, adding that they had received “alarming reports” of Horeira’s torture in Badr 3 where he was being held.

Egypt does not have a tally of the number of political prisoners. But according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the total number of prisoners in Egypt in March 2021 was 120,000, with an estimated 65,000 political prisoners, at least 26,000 of whom were being held in pre-trial detention.

Many, including Morsi and several opposition figures, have died of medical neglect and other inhumane prison conditions, according to documentation by multiple rights groups.

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