Egypt reforms prisons; critics call step hollow

At a new correctional center on the outskirts of Cairo, female inmates exhibit artwork and knitting.

Medical staff stand next to pristine machinery at the three-story clinic.

Supporters of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are lauding the improvement of jail conditions, alongside the creation of a five-year human rights strategy.

In recent months, authorities also appointed a national human rights council and lifted a state of emergency in place since 2017.

But critics call those steps hollow.

Gamal Eid, an activist, is still under investigation over the foreign funding of NGOs.

He says his Arabic Network for Human Rights Information remains under official pressure.

"No, these were cosmetic steps for media consumption and not for the improvement of the state of human rights in Egypt. The state of human rights improves by improving the state of human rights, not by taking superficial procedures."

This Interior Ministry promo shows a new prison in Wadi El-Natrun.

Mohamed Mamdouh, a pro-government member of the new rights council, says such facilities show Egypt is emerging from a dark period - its long battle with Islamist militancy.

"Unfortunately, there was a catastrophic era for the Egyptian state. Emergencies, terrorism. Now I think the state has stabilized, grounded its foundations and has institutions."

Officials deny the existence of political prisoners in Egypt.

But several prominent activists have received sentences lately in what their lawyers and families called baseless trials.

Alaa Abdel Fattah, a leading figure in the 2011 uprising, was sentenced to five years late last year on charges of spreading fake news.

It was his second five-year sentence.

His mother, Laila Souief:

"Building new prisons means nothing, whether it's for Alaa or anyone else. None of this means anything as long as all officials, whether they're in the interior ministry, prosecution or the judiciary are ready to violate the law."

In a 2021 report, Amnesty International said political prisoners were subjected to squalid conditions and cruel treatment, including denial of food and health care, and prolonged spells of solitary confinement.

Egyptian officials deny accusations of inhumane treatment.