22 Egyptians die due to torture in detention
Egypt, Politics, 8/3/2005

An Egyptian legal organization said that 22 persons at least died because of torture while detained the police departments in 2004.

The Egyptian Human Rights Organization, in its annual report on the status of human rights in the country, said that death of these persons is an indication that the phenomenon of torture is widespread, and is an indicator of the deteriorated health and living conditions inside jails.

The organization's secretary general, Hafez Abu Sadaa, considered that the report does not depict all the human rights violations in Egypt but provides only "examples on it," noting that a full investigation of the magnitude of such practices require large resources.

He added in a press conference at the organization's headquarters that arresting large number of people concerning explosions, including ones of Taba and Sharm al-Sheikh, reveals the inability of the security forces and its manner of dealing with and depicting events."

He indicated that the terrorism fighting law should be based on international criterion in order to protect human rights, noting that that there are what he called "20,000 time bombs, who are all young people that lost five or ten years of their life (in detention) without trials."

The 500-page report indicated to mass punishment practices which covered large scale random detentions, holding hostages, imposing curfew, intimidating citizens.

He indicated that one of the main mass punishment phenomenon was in north Sinai governorates, which has al-Areesh as a capital, where 3000 persons were arrested following the explosion of October 6, 2004 in Taba resort and the recent explosions of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Previous Stories:
  US concerned by Egypt's treatment of the opposition   (8/2/2005)
  Wafd party leader to run in coming presidential elections   (8/2/2005)
  Egyptian report on human rights deterioration commended   (4/16/2005)
  Egypt holds 2400 persons without charge after Taba explosions   (2/23/2005)
  Egyptian judicial organization accuses the government of violating the rights of the Shiite   (9/1/2004)
  Amnesty International: measures to ban torture in Egypt are not enough   (11/25/2003)
  Egyptian woman activist: Torture in Egypt reached criminality   (11/17/2003)
  Egypt's Interior Minister: Security and human rights promote each other   (9/17/2003)
  Egypt's Human Rights Organization's report   (6/30/2003)
  Egypt takes part in UN's committee for fighting torture   (4/21/1999)

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