Parliamentary delegation checks human rights situation at Minya prison

CAIRO - 27 October 2019: A delegation from the Parliament's human rights committee, including Alaa Abed, the head of the committee, arrived at the prisons area of Upper Egypt's Minya governorate to check the human rights situation.

The delegation included deputy head of the committee, Margaret Azer, MP Nabil Bolis, MP Ahmed Youssef as well as a number of Minya MPs.

This is the second visit of its kind during the fifth and last session of the Parliament, to check the application of human rights standards inside prisons and police stations nationwide. 

Earlier in October, the delegation arrived at the headquarters of the Alexandria Security Directorate as the first leg of a visit organized by the committee to inspect police departments in the governorate.







Egypt's State Information Service, a government agency that is directly subordinate to the Egyptian Presidency, has frequently denied reports concerning human rights violations in Egypt, especially those issued by human rights organizations believed to be politicized.

Concerning ex-prisoners, the Egyptian Parliament Human Rights Committee last June announced holding a set of meetings during the coming period to discuss social hardships and stigma of these persons.

The political leadership has also affirmed keenness to respect human rights in Egypt, saying, in a meeting with the African Commission on Human and peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) delegation in Cairo in April, that promoting human rights is one of Egypt’s priorities in its 2030 Vision.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also emphasized the state’s role in promoting religious tolerance, acceptance and coexistence, as well as entrenching the concept of citizenship.

As Egypt hosts millions of expats and refugees, Sisi said they practice all their rights and activities freely according to UN conventions.