Egypt’s Human Rights Committee have announced that an official complaint will be filed, and measures will be taken, against Human Rights Watch (HRW), after the latter released a damning report on systematic torture in the country’s jails, reports the Middle East Monitor. The Egyptian Human Rights Committee denied the allegations, claiming that no political prisoner had ever reported incidents of torture. Two weeks later, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told US officials in New York that human rights should not be judged from a Western perspective, arguing that Egypt had taken numerous measures to ensure the economic and social well-being of its citizens. Egypt’s increasing disregard for human rights and the rule of law since the military coup of 2013 that ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi have long been documented by activists. Some 60,000 political prisoners are held in the country, as the government also persecutes human rights campaigners and their organisations, becoming subject to severe limitations.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 10, 2017 07:41 UTC