CAIRO: Dr. Mona Zou El Fokar, Under-Secretary of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights demanded the abolition of the death penalty in the country and also demanded increasing the rates of conditional release for prisoners because of prisons overcrowding, which she described as “like streets and have become quite crowded.”

She also demanded the need for a judge to oversee each prison “like the houses of care for juveniles and minors,” and criticized the increasing number of cases against writers and intellectuals in what she said was a clear violation of the Constitution, which emphasizes freedom of opinion.

This came during a meeting of the Commission on Human Rights of the People’s Assembly to discuss the report of the National Council for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Egypt, the report which would be sent to the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

Dr. Mufid Shehab, Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, rejected her calls for the abolition of the death penalty, pointing out that the death penalty is “a deterrent, especially in crimes of murder, and is being implemented under adequate safeguards to ensure a fair trial of the accused in more than one stage.” He noted that the execution of the convicted does not take place before asking for the opinion of the Grand Mufti.

In response to the criticisms from the Muslim Brotherhood Member of Parliament, Hussein Ibrahim to the National Council for Human Rights, describing it as “without teeth,” Shehab said.

“That the council can not be given executive powers because the Council is an advisory board with a dedicated mission to issue reports and recommendations and submitted to the Government for implementation,” he added.

BM

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