Prolonged Punishment: Disabled BLM Protester Malik Muhammad Suffers Over 250 Days In Solitary Confinement

Malik Muhammad, a 28-year-old #BlackLivesMatter protester and disabled Army veteran, has spent over 250 days in solitary confinement, far exceeding Oregon’s 90-day limit.

Source: Subhakitnibhat Kewiko / EyeEm / Getty

Muhammad, who lives with severe PTSD after serving in the military, is currently serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to 14 felonies in 2022, including throwing a Molotov cocktail during the 2020 BLM protests.

Despite his conviction, advocacy groups claim his isolation and mistreatment are racially motivated, with eight grievances filed by fellow incarcerated individuals accusing prison staff of abuse.

Muhammad’s placement in solitary confinement reportedly followed a violent incident sparked by a phone dispute. His attorney, Lauren Regan, director of litigation and advocacy at the Civil Liberties Defense Center, explained the incident to Black Enterprise.

“The next thing Malik knows is 10 corrections officers show up outside of his cell. They stick two taser guns through the slot of the cell and start firing darts into the cell, and all of them strike him. He’s got nowhere to go. And they then just start repeatedly cycling the electric shocks of the taser over and over.”
Regan further described the attack:

“Even after he is on the ground and completely incapacitated because he’s being electrocuted, they continue. They kick and punch him.”

Muhammad was then isolated, where he remains to this day. This is scary–as is any story about the prison system. 

Exploiting Loopholes To Extend Solitary Confinement

In May, Muhammad launched a hunger strike to protest his solitary confinement. He began another strike in November after spending over eight months in isolation.

According to Black Enterprise, Oregon prison regulations require a medical evaluation within 48 hours of learning about a hunger strike. However, six days into his protest, no medical evaluation had been conducted for Muhammad.
While Oregon sets a 90-day cap on consecutive solitary confinement, the Department of Corrections allegedly resets the clock by moving Muhammad between different housing categories. Regan explained this manipulation:

“The way that the DOC is attempting to sort of sneak this under the radar is that they have multiple different segregation designations… but he’s literally staying in the same solitary confinement cell.”

This is more than unfair. It’s unjust and inhumane.

Locked Away: Oregon Violates Its Own Solitary Confinement Laws

Muhammad is a 100% disabled combat veteran, Muhammad’s PTSD is exacerbated by solitary confinement, which human rights organizations classify as torture. Regan criticized the system for intentionally worsening his mental health:

“He served the country, and he already really suffered through one episode of his life that has given him some of the mental health issues that may have contributed to the acts that he’s actually been convicted of… For the racist prison system to intentionally punish him in ways that are going to cause additional mental health impacts… is the opposite of what the prison systems say they are doing.”

Muhammad’s case continues to draw attention, with advocates calling for reform of solitary confinement practices and greater accountability in the prison system.

#FreeMuhammadMalik

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