Press Association, UK, 22 December 2001

Egypt bans flogging in jails

Egypt's parliament have voted to ban flogging of prisoners as a form of punishment.

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, according to the Middle East News Agency.

They report only one deputy abstained from voting in the 454-seat assembly, saying all laws governing prisons should be changed because they are outdated.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 in Egypt.