Egypt is holding political prisoners in "prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement" that amounts to "torture," an international rights group said Monday. Morsi himself has reportedly been held in solitary confinement for most of the last five years. It said the prisoners in solitary confinement remain in their cells for 22 hours a day. Prisoners held in solitary confinement "suffer depression, insomnia and an unwillingness to socialize or speak to other people when released back into the prison population," it said. Later on Monday, Amnesty said that Egypt responded to its report with a 14-page statement, denying that the use of prolonged, solitary confinement is wide-spread.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 07, 2018 18:12 UTC