Watchdog: Virus stalks Egypt's prisons amid news blackout

CAIRO (AP) — The coronavirus has infected people inside several Egyptian prisons and killed at least 14 detainees, as authorities seek to stifle news of the spread of the virus behind bars, a leading human rights watchdog said Monday.

Human Rights Watch released a report based on letters smuggled from prison and interviews with inmates and their relatives. It documented multiple cases of detainees who died after experiencing suspected virus symptoms without being tested or receiving adequate medical treatment.

Tens of thousands of people in Egypt are crammed into what rights groups say are overcrowded and unsanitary prisons.

Despite appeals for the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to release thousands of inmates to curb the pandemic, authorities have accelerated a long-running crackdown on dissent, arresting health workers, journalists and critics who voice concerns over the government’s handling of the pandemic.

One activist Sanaa Seif, was arrested last month after raising the alarm over a possible outbreak in the prison where her brother, prominent political prisoner Alaa Abdel-Fatah, is being held. Her family's fears have grown since authorities suspended visitation rights as a precaution against infection. Prison policies have been applied erratically since the start of the pandemic, said her sister Mona Seif, with guards often refusing to let in disinfectants and medicine for inmates or pass letters to families desperate for information.

“Instead of providing adequate medical care and health measures needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Egyptian government tries to obscure a serious health crisis in prisons,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW.

An Egyptian press officer did not respond to a request...