afrol News, 19 February - Egyptian human rights organisations have hailed a report by the United Nations Human Rights Council recommendations that seek to end the incessant abuses by the government officials.

Egypt, which came under direct scrutiny from its peers in Geneva on Wednesday for its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a United Nations mechanism by which countries' human rights records are reviewed, has been urged to stop invoking the state of emergency to violate the standards of fair trial by referring civilians to exceptional courts established under the Emergency Law.

In 2008, the courts reportedly convicted several protest organisers on confessions allegedly attained through torture. “Moreover, authorities failed to identify those responsible for the death of three people killed as a result of excessive force by security forces during the protest,” the report said.

The report has further urged Egypt to ensure accountability for crimes of torture and extrajudicial killings. Local rights groups said from June 2008 until February 2009 they have documented 13 cases of death caused either by torture in various detention facilities or shootings by police in the course of a criminal pursuit.

It also recommended the abolishment of all freedom-depriving punishments for press and publication crimes, and to prohibit provisional detention for these crimes, including the crime of insulting the president.

“Take decisive measures to confront public calls for, or incitements to, religious hatred and sectarian violence against religious minorities, including Christian Copts,” the report further stated.

It also called on government to allow international and independent civil society monitoring of elections, and allow independent judicial oversight of the election process.

The report finally called on the Egyptian government to consider and implement recommendations adopted by the forum of independent Egyptian human rights institutions.

Egypt was criticised for the prevalence of torture, discrimination, limited freedom of expression, and the emergency law.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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