CAIRO: The Ministry of Interior suspended 280 policemen from duty for violations against citizens and discharged 1,164 lower-ranking policemen for misconduct and abuse of power, Hamid Rashid, deputy minister for legal affairs, said.
Rashid’s announcement came at a meeting for the Human Rights Committee at the People’s Assembly Sunday, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.
He explained that over the past year, 433 complaints have been filed by citizens against policemen, 97 of which were disregarded by the prosecution office. It also acquitted two policemen and charged five. The remaining 329 complaints are still under investigation, he said.
The Ministry of Interior is continuously monitoring the judicial system and the general prosecution office to ensure that no violations of the constitution are taking place, he said.
In related news, the National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms released a report earlier this month titled, “Police Stations and Police Offices: Notorious.Torture, Murder and Rape which exposes acts of police brutality and calls for finding a solution for the issue.
The report includes a compilation of cases where police officers allegedly abuse their power, ranging from rape to torture cases, which sometimes result in death.
The report also lists the international agreements and protocols that criminalize torture in Egypt in addition to citing articles in the Egyptian constitution that also condemn such acts.
Article 151/1971 in the constitution states that all international agreements, protocols or resolutions that are adopted by Egypt regarding this issue are enforced by law.
Egypt has signed the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948 that, among other regulations, forbids torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
