Protests inside Egyptian prisons and detention facilities entered their second day on Thursday, with detainees launching a food strike as part of what organizers call the “October Movement.” According to opposition and human rights groups monitoring detainee conditions, participants are chanting slogans, refusing meals, and protesting restrictions on visits and exercise. Sources from the Gharar organization, which tracks detainee affairs, reported that inmates at Wadi El-Natroun Rehabilitation 2 prison began chanting at dawn, confirming their continued participation in the strike.
Gharar sources indicated that prisoners in Badr 1 and Badr 3 prisons also joined the demonstrations. In Badr 3, widespread participation included those in solitary confinement cells. Prison authorities conducted raids inside the cells coinciding with the protests. Detainees responded with chants and banging on doors, protesting policies that ban visits and canteen access, alongside what they describe as harsh detention conditions.
The strike has spread across various sites with varying levels of engagement. At Badr 1, approximately 100 out of 250 rooms participated, involving chanting, refusal of food, covering cameras, and closing visitation areas. Badr 3 saw similar refusals and closed visits. In Sharq Al-Minya, about 70 of 144 rooms were involved, while half of the detainees in Minya Liman reportedly joined the strike. In New Valley, two-thirds of inmates participated, though one-third did not.
In the 10th of Ramadan City prisons, cells were locked down and exercise banned in Rehabilitation 5, with some rejecting food. Earlier reports mentioned the transfer of ten detainees to Minya, Borg El-Arab, and Gamasa. In Rehabilitation 2 of the same city, inmates refused food, while an incident in Rehabilitation 6 involved spraying water on an assistant minister; details on the latter remain unconfirmed. At Wadi El-Natroun Rehabilitation 2, participation was estimated at 20 percent, with rumors of transfers late in the day. Some inmates in Rehabilitation 9 at Wadi El-Natroun and Abu Zaabal abstained from meals, while no activity was recorded at Wadi El-Natroun 440.
Security forces transferred a group of detainees from Sharq Al-Minya, likely to New Valley, during the strike. More than 40 rooms refused food, and other wards boycotted exercise. Supporters claim these measures have not halted the movement, as detainees demand improved conditions and restored rights regarding visits and exercise.
Organizers announced that detainees in police stations and other centers would join the strike on October 7, 8, and 9, citing overcrowding and poor living standards. The initiative, dubbed “October Movement Beginning,” aims to expand the protest scope. Internationally, Melissa Turner, CEO of Big Issue magazine, issued a message of solidarity, supporting political prisoners’ right to strike against detention conditions and affirming their demand for freedom.
