#IWantToBreath Highlights Egypt's Inhumane Jail Conditions Amidst Heat Wave
Egyptians have taken to social media, placing plastic bags over their heads to spread awareness about Egypt's inhumane jail conditions amidst the current heat wave using hastags #عايز_أتنفس or #IWantToBreath.
It’s extremely hot this week in Egypt, and while many complain about how unbearable it is, others have taken to social media to highlight the plight of prisoners in extraordinarilyy harsh conditions by sharing photos of users with plastic bags over their heads under the hashtags #عايز_أتنفس or #IWantToBreath.
Although the heat wave is expected to end on Tuesday, many have taken the recent unseasonably hot weather as an opportunity to remind the world that the number of political prisoners are on the rise and that the unbearable heat is likely a lot worse inside Egypt’s decrepit jails.
#عايز_اتنفس#مسجون_مخنوق
— karim aso (@karimaso24) May 14, 2016
النهاردة وانت بتشتكي من حر الصيف افتكر ان فيه 107 م الشباب تم الحكم عليهم ف سجون غير آدمية pic.twitter.com/jscsS6Fw9S
Rough translation: Toda,y when you are complaining about the summer heat, remember that there are 107 Egyptian youth imprisoned in an inhumane prison
درجة الحرارة ٤٥ زي عددنا في الزنزانة #مسجون_مخنوق #عايز_اتنفس
— Mahmoud Salmani (@Mahmoud_salmani) May 15, 2016
المسجون انسان، المسجون مش المظلوم لكن المدان هو انسان pic.twitter.com/bNF5oWXhVW
Rough translation: It's 45 degrees, exactly as the same number of prisoners in one cell, the prisoner is a human, that prisoner is not the victim but the one to blame is a human.
من حرية، كرامة إنسانية! وصلنا النهاردة لطلب واحد وهو إن معتقلينا يُعاملوا معاملة إنسانية ومايفطسوش.
— Yehia El Gammal (@YehiaMelGammal) May 15, 2016
هل ده كتير؟!..#عايز_اتنفس
Rough translation: From "freedom, human dignity!" we reached now to be wanting one thing, which is they treat our prisoners right. Is that too much?
According a 2014 report by the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights monitoring group, an estimated 41,000 people had been detained, many on charges related to political activity and demonstrations. This number is expected to be a lot higher, as political arrests have become routine since the report was filed. The report also claimed that, in 2014, as many as 90 detainees have died within Egyptian jails.
The conditions of Egyptian jails are notoriously dreadful and often called inhumane. Coupled with the increased number of arrests and current inhumane jail conditions, Egypt is trying to manage the problem by opening 10 new prisons since 2011, and have plans to build as many as 16 new prisons.
Trending This Week
-
Nov 07, 2024