Badr Mohamed was arrested in 2013, when he was just 17 years old. This happened during the protests at Ramsis Square in Egypt. It has been reported that security forces used excessive force against protesters, resulting in 97 deaths. Badr was near the protests and ran to a nearby mosque for safety. However, security forces raided the mosque, arresting him and many others, including those injured.
Badr was interrogated without a lawyer present. He was held in detention with adults at Wadi al-Natron prison and later moved to a juvenile facility three months later. He was released on bail in November 2013. According to international law, the detention of children should only be used as a last resort and for the shortest time possible. After his release, Badr struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lived in fear of being arrested again.
In 2017, Badr was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia for serious charges like murder and attempted murder. This was part of a mass trial involving 494 defendants, where many received long sentences based on evidence from security forces and government officials, raising concerns about fairness.
Badr was arrested again in 2020. He was retried in a terrorism court starting in July 2020. New defendants were added frequently, causing delays in the trial. In mid-2022, the judge rejected requests from lawyers to call witnesses or present evidence. The retrial occurred in different prison courtrooms, and in January 2023, Badr was convicted again on charges including “participating in an illegal gathering” and received another five-year sentence. The judge relied on secret reports from security forces, which Badr and his lawyers could not access, and dismissed defence witnesses’ statements.
As of June 2024, many prisoners where Badr is held began a hunger strike to protest poor living conditions, especially during high temperatures over 40˚C. Ironically the name of the prison that Badr is serving is called Badr Prison Complex. Prison authorities had refused to provide fans, and there were ongoing power cuts. Detainees complained about inadequate healthcare and humiliating searches by prison staff. Other issues included long wait times for family visits, reduced exercise time, and lengthy pretrial detentions that exceeded the legal limit of two years.
In response to the hunger strike, prison officials took punitive actions, transferring about 50 prisoners to distant locations, making it harder for families to visit. Those remaining in Badr Prison faced further restrictions, including cut-offs of electricity and water, in violation of human rights standards against torture and cruel treatment.
We RIGHTSDEFENDERS urge the authorities in Egypt to uphold their international human rights obligations and ensure the prison condition to be levelled by the international standards.
RIGHTSDEFENDERS call on the Egyptian government to prioritise the protection of human rights and fundamental rights, and to demonstrate its commitment to the principles of the rule of law by releasing Badr Mohamed without further delay.
References
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/father-unjustly-jailed-relation-protests
https://afteegypt.org/en/legal-updates-en/2023/01/16/33262-afteegypt.html
https://afteegypt.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Badr-en.jpg
