Egypt: The country's model prison rife with abuses

A new prison which Egypt touted as a model for reform and which holds some of its most prominent prisoners denies inmates healthcare and subjects them to punitive treatment including isolation, relatives of those inside and rights groups say.

Four prisoners died at the Badr facility because of medical negligence last year, including a 47-year-old Alaa el-Salmy who was on hunger strike for two months over prison conditions, according to the rights groups Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) and Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR).