We have already warned before in an earlier statement by Maat Foundation, where we declared our fear of the spread of swine flu in Egyptian prisons, and asked Officials of Prison Department to declare their precautionary and preventive plans on the prevalence of the disease in Egyptian prisons, although the Major General director of the prison announced after that warning a comprehensive plan published in Al-Ahram newspaper at the time, but Al Masry Al Youm newspaper published on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 that 4 Islamist detainees in «Abu Zaabal prison » were infected with swine flu makes us afraid of the effectiveness of precautionary procedures in the prison sector and the adequacy of preventive programs.

As Maat Foundation demanded that the precautionary and preventive procedures don’t overwhelm on the right of prisoners and their families in the visit and communicate with the outside world and not to take the fear of infection to enter the prison to narrow the scope of these visits, or to put obstacles in the way of visits. 

Finally, Maat emphasizes the importance of transparency in dealing with the disease and appeals to officials of the Prison to declare immediately any new infections, and means that have been followed in dealing with these infection so as not to leave a space for rumors and uncertainty on the one hand, and to reassure the prisoner’s families on the other hand. We appeal prison department to give the opportunity to Egyptian civil society organizations to enter the prison to ensure the adequacy and effectiveness of actions taken to prevent the swine flu and to provide additional guarantees of transparency and reassure the Egyptian public opinion, and to make a qualitative leap in cooperation between governmental agencies and CSOs.