Judicial panel orders review of Cairo prison

Egypt’s State Commissioners’ Committee has ordered Cairo University to create a team of medical and human rights specialists to assess whether the ‘Scorpion’ prison is suitable for inmates, the Associated Press reported.

Once the evaluation is completed, officials will deliver a non-binding verdict on whether the prison is fit for human habitation.

The move is in response to a complaint by prisoners’ families and NGOs urging the government to close the prison. Rights lawyer Doaa Mustafa said the move is “a positive step in order to ease the dire conditions” inside the prison. However, she said authorities are still cramming prisoners into packed cells, cutting off access to families and lawyers, and blocking medical aid.

Rights groups have accused Egyptian police of torturing detainees, but the government has denied systemic torture, saying there have only been isolated cases.