Human Rights Watch recently sent a letter to Egypt’s Minister of the Interior, urging him to investigate the deaths of three Sudanese migrants.  According to Israeli soldiers, Egyptian border guards killed three Sudanese nationals attempting to cross into Israel.  According to witnesses, the Egyptian guards shot one man and beat the other two.  Egyptian authorities deny that the incident occurred.  However, last month Egyptian authorities admitted that they killed one Sudanese woman attempting to cross into Israel.

Currently, Egypt and Israel are in the midst of negotiating an agreement concerning the treatment and return of third-country nationals captured while attempting to cross the border.  Israel estimates that 2,800 people have entered Israel, via Egypt, illegally in recent years.  The number of illegal arrivals increased in the past months; with an estimated 50 arriving each day in the month of June.

The allegations against the Egyptian border guards were accompanied by the release of a report from an Egyptian human rights group.  The report cites over 560 cases of police brutality since 1993.  According to the report, in this year alone there has been 26 cases of torture; resulting in three deaths.  The report suggests that one reason why torture and mistreatment by Egyptian police is so wide spread is because the perpetrators are rarely caught and punished.

For more information please see:
BBC:  “Egypt pressed on migrant deaths”  8 August 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Egypt: Investigate killings of Sudanese migrants attempting to cross intro Israel”  8 August 2007. 

Middle East Times:  “567 police torture cases in Egypt, says rights group”  8 August 2007. 

Middle East Times:  “Egypt ‘must probe’ deaths of Sudan refugees”  8 August 2007.