The Egyptian parliament’s human rights committee has described as “baseless” a BBC report on enforced disappearances.
MP Alaa Abed, the head of the committee, said in a statement on Sunday that the committee has made surprise visits to many jails and police units and has not documented any violation, or even verbal abuse.
“What has been mentioned about enforced disappearances is baseless,” he said.
“The report comes as part of a campaign … targeting Egypt, its leadership and people, mainly at a time when the presidential elections are approaching and the heroes of the army and police are making huge successes in the comprehensive operation” of Sinai 2018, Abed stated.
A similar denial has also been made by Egypt's official State Information Service (SIS), which described the BBC report as “biased.”
SIS said it will summon the head of the BBC office in Egypt "to receive an official letter" of response.
It said the report failed to provide any information about a woman which it claimed was subjected to forced disappearance.
But BBC Cairo Bureau Editor Safaa Faisal told Asharq Al-Awsat that by Sunday night her media outlet had not received any official objections to the report.
“I haven't been summoned by the SIS to be briefed about” the objections, Faisal said, adding that she preferred not to make any further comment.
