(AKI) - Egypt's interior minister Ahmed Dia al-Din on Tuesday denied accusations by an MP that many prisoners are being kept in secret underground prisons built beneath buildings. "No dungeons exist on Egyptian soil. Such allegations are unacceptable - all Egyptian prisoners are supervised and guarded by the state police and kept in conditions that most certainly comply with international conventions and Egyptian law," al-Din told parliamentary commission studying revisions to the rules governing the detention of prisoners . Nagi Al-Shahabi, leader of the 'al-Gil" (The Generation) party has claimed he can provide many people who are prepared to testify that they have been detained in dungeons in Egypt after their politically motivated arrests.
Meanwhile, Egypt's state prosecutor (SSI) on Tuesday announced the imminent release from custody of four political activists, among them two female journalists and left-wing activists, Nada al-Qassas and Rasha Azab. The women were arrested on 7 May after taking part in a pro-democracy demonstration in the capital, Cairo, that led to the arrest of many protesters. Al-Qassas and Azab are still in Qanateerwomen's prison and are expected to be released on Wednesday. The two other activists detained on 7 May, Ashraf Ibrahim and Hamdi Aboul Qenawi, are also to be released, the state prosecutor said adding that a further 21 activists will be kept in custody for a further 15 days. The nine leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement - Egypt's most powerful opposition force - who were arrested on Sunday will be detained for 15 days, the SSI said. |