Mostafa Baz, head of the National Prisons Authority, was sacked on Wednesday amid claims that he tolerated meetings between detained Muslim Brotherhood members and other Islamists in prison. It was also reported that he allowed detained Islamists to communicate with individuals outside the prison. Baz, who came to the post on 10 June, publicly denied these accusations last week. This change comes as part of a limited reshuffle in the Ministry of Interior's leadership. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told state-owned MENA that the decision to reshuffle key posts aimed to ensure maximum efficiency of the security apparatus in the shortest time possible. "I will not accept any deterioration or laxity in the performance of the ministry at its various levels," Ibrahim told MENA, adding that the reshuffle was based on the merit and character of the security officers. Mohamed Rateb, previously the head of internal affairs, has been assigned the post of Prisons Authority head, while Baz has been assigned the head of archives. "Prisons are among the most important police institutions and they need strong leadership. The decision to reshuffle aimed to appoint better leadership," Ibrahim told MENA. The reshuffle also replaced the heads of the security and investigative bureaus in several other areas, including Minya and Kafr Al-Sheikh. Since the dispersal of the two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, scores of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members have been detained pending investigation into a range of charges, including murder, torture and acts of terrorism. Muslim Brotherhood leaders, such as Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei and his deputy Khairat El-Shater, are currently standing trial for allegedly inciting murder.
