Amnesty Accuses Egypt of Rights Violations
CAIRO
AMNESTY International accused Egypt yesterday of torture, summary executions, and other gross human rights violations against suspected Muslim extremists.
The scathing attack on Egypt's human rights record accused authorities of long-term detention without charge, using confessions extracted by torture, mass arrests, and denial of prisoners' visitation rights.
The Amnesty report covered 12 months and coincided with a major escalation in violence by Muslim extremists that began last May. The attacks have threatened Egypt's lucrative tourism industry.
The pro-Western government of President Hosni Mubarak denies that torture is systematically used but acknowledges individual cases. Late last year Mr. Mubarak started referring Muslim militant cases to military courts to ensure speedier trials. That decision followed the government decision to extend capital punishment to cover several crimes involving leadership of terror organizations.