Egypt subjects children to grave abuses: Rights group

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Egyptian authorities have been subjecting children as young as 12 to grave abuses, including arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, and brutal torture, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.

The 43-page report released on Monday was produced in collaboration with Egyptian NGO Belady: An Island for Humanity.

It details testimonies of about 20 children age 12-17 who were subjected to various forms of torture and abuses, and faced trials in military courts for alleged crimes.

The report said such abuses have become flagrant under the government of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. “The Interior Ministry’s National Security Agency’s officers were responsible for the majority of abuses … but police and in some cases army officers were also involved,” read the report.

In violation of international law, the report added, one child was sentenced to death, three were locked in solitary confinement, and three were not allowed to meet their families for over a year.

Most of the children were tortured during interrogation, including repeated blows to sensitive parts of their bodies and electrocution by stun guns.

“In two cases, children said security officials tied their arms behind their backs and suspended them by their arms, which dislocated their shoulders. One of the boys, age 14 at the time, said his joints had to be re-set by another prisoner in his cell who was a doctor,” read the report.

The rights groups urged Egypt’s allies, especially the U.S., France, and other European Union countries, to stop their support for al-Sisi’s government until it ends the abuses and ensures accountability.

“Governments that want to end these horrors should end support to Egyptian security services and condition any future agreements on there being real reforms,” said Bill Van Esveld, associate children’s rights director at HRW.

Though Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the report, they usually deny such claims.

According to various human rights organizations, there are more than 65,000 people detained in prisons across Egypt, most them members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other political opponents of al-Sisi.