UN says Egypt 'tortures detainees'

Nisbet and the other Britons said they were beaten

A United Nations human rights body says it has evidence that detainees in Egypt are persistently tortured by security officials.

The Geneva-based Committee Against Torture said there were many consistent reports relating to numerous cases of deaths in custody.

The Committee said they were particularly concerned by evidence of widespread ill-treatment of detainees in the premises under the control of the Egyptian State Security Investigation department, dealing with terrorism cases.

It urged the Egyptian Government to allow convictions by military courts in terrorism cases to be reviewed by a higher court.

It also called for regular inspections of detention centres, better access to lawyers for prisoners and independent investigation of complaints of torture.

Correspondents say the Egyptian authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected Muslim militants since the attacks on New York and Washington last year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service