Within the context of the systemic abuse of human rights which the coup regime in Egypt has been committing, in flagrant breach of all human rights conventions, the regime has for the past three days cut off the water supply to dissident prisoners in Minya Prison (500 km south of Cairo).

The conditions in this prison were already inhumane with overcrowded cells reaching temperatures of 45 C. The lack of water in such overcrowded conditions under such temperatures is already resulting in tremendous suffering and exposing prisoners to long term danger.

In a prison population beset by appalling conditions and lack of medical care, which is already resulting in deaths, this callous act is clearly aimed at the mass murder of the weakest dissident prisoners and is in clear and flagrant breach of each and every article of human rights convention on the treatment of prisoners.

The ERC holds the Egyptian government fully responsible for the lives of the political dissidents and especially those who are suffering from ill health and call upon all human rights organisations and all international organisations to intervene and put pressure on the Egyptian regime to immediately allow water to the prisoners and more generally to apply international conventions for the treatment of detainees.