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Parliament to take on Egypt’s notorious prisons

As allegations continue to mount against Egypt’s penal institutions, legislators plan to visit the lockups to see the conditions for themselves.
Goats roam outside the Borg al-Arab prison in Alexandria, 230 km (143 miles) north of Cairo, September 4, 2013. Ousted Egyptian leader Mohamed Mursi struck a defiant tone on the first day of his trial on Monday, chanting 'Down with military rule', and calling himself the country's only 'legitimate' president. Mursi, an Islamist who was toppled by the army in July after mass protests against him, appeared angry and interrupted the session repeatedly, prompting a judge eventually to adjourn the trial, which b
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Amid accusations that Egypt’s prisons have become tombs for dissidents, members of parliament’s Human Rights Committee are preparing to investigate first-hand.

Egypt has long faced international condemnation for allegedly torturing prisoners and making people “disappear.” On July 13, Amnesty International issued yet another report — some have called it “damning” — accusing Egypt’s National Security Agency (NSA) of abducting, torturing and forcibly disappearing people “to intimidate opponents and wipe out peaceful dissent.”

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