Ibrahim Metwalli is subjected to medical negligence inside the prison of Scorpio

March 13th 2019,

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) condemns the medical negligence the human rights defender Ibrahim Metwalli is subjected to inside his prison in Tora Prison Guard-II, known as the Scorpio Prison.

Ibrahim Metwalli has been suffering recently from severe inflammation of the prostate and nerve tremors. He demanded that he be shown to the prison hospital and allowed to receive treatment and access to medication, which were rejected.

ECRF’s lawyer filed a complaint on March 12th 2019 to the prosecution of Maadi carried the number of petitions 26 of 2019, demanding the transfer of Ibrahim Metwalli to Kasr El Aini Teaching Hospital to receive the necessary treatment for his condition, as he has been having many symptoms such as hand tremors and loss of vision due to not being exposed to sunlight for a long time, as well as severe loss of weight and paleness to the face. The complaint also demanded an investigation into Ibrahim Metwalli’s abuse and denial of treatment.

It is noteworthy that Ibrahim Metwalli is deprived of his visitations and exercise and is deprived of seeing the sun since the beginning of his imprisonment more than a year and a half ago, and he has been also staying in solitary confinement in a dirty unfurnished cell.

Ibrahim Metwalli is a lawyer and co-founder of the association of the families of the enforcedly disappeared. The association was established in 2013 after the disappearance of his son Amr, who was participating in the sit-in supporting former President Mohamed Morsi in Rabia square. On August 14th, 2013, after the sit-in was raided, Ibrahim Metwalli went to look for his son and could not find him. Since that day, Ibrahim’s journey to search for his son has begun in all hospitals, police stations and prisons.

During his search, he met a group of people searching for missing relatives in similar events, and then decided to form an association of the families of the enforcedly disappeared so they can help each other searching for their loved ones and find out where they were.

On September 10th 2017, Ibrahim Metwalli was heading to Geneva to participate in the annual meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council, where he had prepared a complete file on the issue of enforced disappearance in Egypt to be presented to an international working group of the United Nations to discuss the issue.

He was arrested by security forces at Cairo airport then was taken to the National Security headquarters in Abbassia.

Ibrahim Metwalli was subjected to enforced disappearance after his arrest for three days, and then appeared in the State Security Prosecution on September 13th 2017.

He was also tortured and electrocuted in various parts of his body, stripped of his clothes and poured cold water on his body, according to his personal testimony.

State Security Prosecutor charged Ibrahim Metwalli with establishing and leading an organized group established contrary to the provisions of the law, spreading false news, and communicating with foreign external parties to support him in spreading the ideas of the group, in case no. 900 of 2017, Supreme State Security.

He has been held in custody since then for a year and a half.

What is Ibrahim Metwalli has been suffering contravenes with the Constitution, law, standards and international treaties, as Article 55 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that:

“No one shall be subjected to torture, intimidation, coercion or physical or mental harm, his detention shall be confined to places designated for that purpose which are humane and hygienic.”

“Anyone who is arrested, imprisoned or deprived of his liberty shall be treated with dignity”

Article 56 also provides that:

“Prison is for reform and rehabilitation. Prisons and places of detention are subject to judicial supervision that prohibits all that is contrary to human dignity, or endanger his or her health. The law regulates the provisions of reform and rehabilitation of convicts, and facilitates a decent life for them after their release. “

Not only did the security services commit the crime of enforced disappearance against Ibrahim Metwalli’s son, but they also have been punishing Ibrahim for looking for his son.

Ibrahim Metwalli was subjected to numerous violations and crimes committed against him from enforced disappearance to deliberate medical negligence inside the prison and torture, which is contrary to all international human rights standards and is a slow death.

ECRF demands the immediate and unconditional release of Ibrahim Metwalli, being an opinion-prisoner, taking into consideration his health condition by getting him examined by the prison doctor and taken to hospital for treatment, and demands the disclosure of the whereabouts and fate of his forcibly disappeared son Amr Ibrahim Metwalli.