Head of the State Information Service (SIS) Diaa Rashwan said on Monday the agency monitors via its nine offices worldwide everything raised about human rights in Egypt by foreign media outlets and all 1,500 foreign correspondents in the country. Rashwan made the remarks during a meeting of the House of Representatives' Human Rights Committee to debate the SIS's role in confronting claims of international organizations and foreign media about human rights in Egypt. During the meeting, chaired by MP Tareq Radwan, the SIS head noted that there have been positive and negative points over the past four years. The total of what has been accomplished in Egypt is ignored externally, which, he said, is considered a negative matter as well. The criticism leveled against Egypt's construction phase in such a transitional period that follows two revolutions entails a huge injustice, Rashwan said, noting that the foreign media depends on individual sources, and listens to those who always complain without receiving an Egyptian response. In this regard, the SIS head underscored the importance of giving an Egyptian response, emphasizing that most of the time lack of rapid action on any allegations turns them into facts. Rashwan cited the Human Rights Watch's report on alleged cases of torture in Egypt's prisons, adding that the prosecutor general launched a relevant investigation and demanded that the organization presents the evidence it has. The result was that no evidence has been presented, and therefore the investigation was closed, he said.
