SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2001
Egypt bans flogging in jails
CAIRO: Egypt's parliament voted on Saturday to ban flogging of prisoners as a form of punishment, the Middle East News Agency reported.
The People's Assembly agreed to rescind the law, which allowed the practice against male inmates for violation of prison regulations or as a disciplinary measure. Female prisoners were not flogged.
The practice was suspended last year by the Interior Ministry.
The agency said only one deputy abstained from voting in the 454-seat assembly, saying that all laws governing prisons should be changed because they are outdated.
Human rights groups have repeatedly claimed that torture is widespread in prisons and police stations. ( AP )
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