Press release
Cairo:15/4/2003

Torture should be stopped

Newsletter

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) will issue tomorrow its first report on Egyptian instances of torture in 2003. This report is entitled “Torture should be stopped ” and comes at a time when Egypt renews its campaign against torture.

The report monitors and documents cases of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in police stations.  EOHR’s field work unit surveys these cases through victim testimonies, victim family complaints, public prosecutor investigations, forensic reports and other medical reports all documenting instances of torture.  The report also includes thirty-one cases of citizen torture, nine of which are expected to end in death. 

The report is divided into three parts.

Section One is a legal framework concerning torture as codified in International Conventions of Human Rights and Egyptian legislation.

Section Two details torture cases documented by EOHR categorized in the following manner: cases investigated by public prosecutors and cases in which the perpetrators are sent to trial and receive prison sentences.

Section Three includes conclusions and recommendations.

In issuing this report, EOHR hopes it will encourage all civil society institutions and concerned international, Arab and national human rights institutions to urge the Egyptian government to take meaningful steps to stop torture and other forms of ill-treatment of citizens.  It pervades Egyptian police stations and clearly breaches the constitution, other Egyptian laws and International Covenants on Human Rights.

It is with this in mind that EOHR welcomes news that the legislative administration in the Ministry of Justice has already begun examining suggestions given by the People’s Assembly sub-committee on recommendations.  The sub-committee called for amending Article 126 of the penal code such that it complies with the Egyptian constitution and the International Covenant Against Torture. In its current form, this article does not protect mental or psychological aspects of people’s health from the actions of civil servants. It is applicable only when the civil servant or public officer orders or commits torture himself to compel a person to confess. 

EOHR also believes that there are other steps which should be taken to stop torture.  They include:

• Amending Article 282 of the penal code.  Currently it does not differentiate between actions taken between individuals or those taken by an authority against an individual. The penalty should be strengthened in the latter instance as authorities commit torture in their official capacities as opposed to their personal ones. 

• Amending Article 129 of the penal code.  Currently perpetrators of torture receive merely one year prison sentences, that is if they are convicted, and a fee of no more than LE 200.  Such penalties are weak and do not serve their purpose, to eradicate the practice altogether.