In December 2021, the Egyptian government opened the new Badr Prison Complex, touting it as an “American-style” “correctional and rehabilitation center,” and offering it as proof of improving prison conditions. Shortly after the prison’s opening, however, detainees reported significant abuses. Following a wave of suicide attempts between November 2022 and March 2023, a pressure campaign from human rights groups led to a temporary improvement of conditions in the facility.
MEDC’s first fact sheet, “Deteriorating Conditions in Egypt’s Badr Prison Complex,” explains how, since October 2023, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has taken advantage of the conflict in Gaza to resume rights violations and other abuses inside Badr, according to interviews conducted by MEDC.
This fact sheet is also available in a PDF version.
