This page intends to provide interactive maps indicating the location of prisons throughout the MENA region. The word “prison,” however, is problematic in that it places erroneous limitations on the full, categorical scope of detention, and thus neglects the countless extrajudicial processes and informal sites that also function to deprive individuals of their liberty. To convey the ubiquity of detention as accurately as possible, these interactive maps will not only delineate official, “conventional,” and currently operational carceral facilities; they will also aim to identify defunct institutions—including jails—as well as secret prisons and other detention sites that were historically, or are presently, administered outside of states’ established prison systems, and in which detainees are held incommunicado.

Though research and translation are underway, more work must be done in order to make this page operational.

In keeping with our call for assistance, as found on other pages of this website, the MPF welcomes any help which might hasten the launch of these interactive maps, and thereby accelerate their availability.