Egypt's interior ministry has denied reports of abuse against inmates at Wadi Al-Natroun prison in Egypt's Nile Delta governorate of Beheira.
Varying social media reports on Sunday claimed that prisoners had been handcuffed and beaten at Wadi Al-Natroun, with some reports attributing the alleged abuse to a mass hunger strike planned by inmates stating that the alleged beatings were a reaction to protests held by prisoners against their "poor treatment."
However, in a statement released on the same day, the interior ministry said that contrary to the allegations, inmates at the prison attend their mandated visits and eat the food provided for them.
The prison adheres to modern standards of state punishment and the safeguarding of human rights, the statement added.
Reports by activist groups like the Freedom for the Brave campaign and April 6 Youth movement claimed that tear gas had been fired into a specific prison ward at Wadi Al-Natroun.
Due to restricted access, such reports cannot be verified by Ahram Online.
In March, a court convicted three police officers in the killing of 37 Egyptian detainees who were tear-gassed to death as they were being transported to a Cairo prison.
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