A suspect standing trial for his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood and his involvement in terrorist plots has accused a National Security Agency officer of torturing him at the agency’s office in 6 October City, west of Cairo.
Mohamed Abdel Hamid made the claim before the Giza Criminal Court on Monday. His defense lawyers demanded the court investigate the allegation.
Abdel Hamid, among other defendants, is facing charges of forming “specific units” affiliated with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood in several governorates. The units, according to the charges petition, are designed to “overthrow the regime by force” and “assault the country’s infrastructure and utilities”.
The Interior Ministry has repeatedly denied the torture of its detainees despite human rights' reports detecting several cases of torture, sometimes fatal, over the past two years.
A report by the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) said earlier this month that authorities should be blamed for several reported prison deaths caused either by torture or poor prison cell conditions.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
