Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Egyptian pound ticks down in early Tuesday trading    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Famine kills more Gaza children as Israel tightens siege amid global outrage    Kuwait's Crown Prince, Egyptian minister discuss strengthening cooperation    Egypt's FM seeks deeper economic, security ties on five-nation West Africa tour    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Madbouly reviews legalisation of newly annexed lands to new cities, housing offerings    Egyptian Countryside Development chief discusses cooperation with Italian ambassador    CIB completes fifth securitisation issuance for B.TECH worth EGP 859.4m    Roche helps Egypt expand digital pathology and AI diagnostics    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt exports 175K tons of food in one week    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt's Health Minister reviews upgrades at Gustave Roussy Hospital    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Egypt expresses condolences to Iraq over fire tragedy    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Egypt, Uruguay eager to expand trade across key sectors    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



EOHR calls for reform in the face of continued impunity to torture
Published in Daily News Egypt on 10 - 11 - 2013

The General Prosecution and Ministry of the Interior need to seriously investigate allegations of torture and fairly compensate those affected by police brutality, said the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) on Sunday.
The rights group documented the ways in which the security apparatus had carried out torture over the past three months in a report titled "the crime of torture and continued impunity after the 30 June Revolution," in which EOHR published separate recommendations to the General Prosecution, Interior Ministry, the interim government, and the Chairman of the Forensic Medical Authority.
The first section of EOHR's report, which focused on legal issues that led to impunity in cases of torture, said that a review of the laws in place showed that "the penal code and criminal procedure did not include controls to protect citizens from [torture] at all."
EOHR pointed to Article 126 of the penal code, which dictates that any public official or employee who conducts torture against a detainee facing a charge is eligible to receive a sentence of hard labour or imprisonment of three to ten years, and if the detainee dies, the perpetrator can face a murder charge.
However, EOHR added that this article is in conflict with the International Convention Against Torture, signed by the Egyptian government in 1986, because Article 126 does not include protection for detainees not facing charges, and the torture of a detainee not facing an official charge is handled as "use of cruelty," which is a misdemeanour. Someone found guilty of "use of cruelty" can face no more than a one year prison sentence or a fine of EGP 200, according to Article 129 of the penal code.
The organisation said that this contradiction, along with others, violated international standards signed by Egypt and that such conventions needed to be integrated into Egyptian legislation in a consistent matter. However, EOHR also said that there was a "widening gap" between national legislation and international covenants on human rights "in spite of Egypt's ratification of these conventions."
The report pointed to police procedures and violations of those procedures, which gave the security apparatus "broad powers" as ways in which torture was being enabled in Egypt, and that the misuse of those powers had led to "attacks on the rights of individuals."
EOHR called on the Public Prosecution to carry out speedy and impartial investigations in response to complaints filed by those claiming to have fallen victim to torture at the hands of police forces. It also called on the prosecution to exercise its right to conduct unannounced visits to all places of detention and speak to detainees privately. The prosecution also needed to conduct medical examinations of alleged torture victims and allow human rights organisations access to detainees and those in solitary confinement.
The rights group also called on Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim to conduct training sessions for its officers in an effort to put an end to practices of torture, along with "increasing awareness" among its officers of the implementation of human rights as applied to detainees. It also called on the ministry to ensure "all detainees stand before a judicial authority within 24 hours of being arrested according to the law" and guaranteeing the right of immediate family members to contact detainees."
The report called on the interim government to take legislative action to protect citizens from "the assault on public rights and freedoms protected by Egyptian and international law" and to adequately compensate torture victims. It also called on the government to adjust the penal code to provide consistency with international norms and to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which allows for international experts to conduct regular visits to places of detention and make recommendations.
EOHR recommended to the Forensic Medical Authority to carry out speedy examinations of those claiming they had been tortured and write "neutral reports that do not allow for impunity."


Clic here to read the story from its source.