Committee to investigate reports of human rights abuses in women’s prisons

A governmental committee plans to look into allegations of human rights violations committed against female detainees, reported on Thursday the state-owned news site EgyNews.

The fact-finding committee was appointed by former interim President Adly Mansour to investigate the violent events that occurred in the aftermath of former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster last summer.

Committee spokesperson Amr Marwan told EgyNews that several female inmates' family members submitted reports of violations perpetrated against their detained relatives to committee member Fatma Khafagy.

Khafagy also sits on the National Women’s Council.

The committee reportedly decided to look into these reports and conduct visits to the prisons after an Al-Azhar University student testified that she had been raped by a police officer in December.

The victim, who was recently released from detention with a fine, said she was arrested when she confronted a police officer who was sexually harassing another student during on-campus protests. She testified that the offender then raped her in front of three other soldiers inside a police truck.

The victim denied having participated in the protests, which were organized by Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated students.

Another group of female Al-Azhar students currently in detention at Qanater women’s prison allege that they were brutally assaulted by other inmates and security personnel in mid-June. The Prisons Authority has denied the allegations, claiming they were false reports intended to arouse sympathy for the detainees.

The Prisons Authority adheres by the principles of human rights, its statement declared.