CAT/C/CR/29/4 page 2 B. Positive aspects 3. The Committee welcomes the following: (a) prisoners; The enactment of legislation banning flogging as a disciplinary penalty for (b) Circular letter No. 11 of 1999 regulating the procedures for the unannounced inspections which the Department of Public Prosecutions has an obligation to conduct in places of detention, particularly if it receives written or verbal reports or notifications indicating that a person is being held illegally at a police station or other place of detention; (c) Decisions taken by the Egyptian courts to refuse any confession made under duress as evidence; (d) The efforts of the State party to give greater emphasis to human rights training of law enforcement officials and public servants; (e) The establishment of a Human Rights Committee in 1999 with the mandate to study and propose ways and means of ensuring a more effective protection of human rights; (f) The establishment in 2000 of the Directorate-General for Human Rights Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, whose functions are to assume responsibility for the fulfilment of the legal aspects of international obligations arising from human rights instruments, including the preparation of replies to international bodies, promote greater public awareness and provide training on these matters for members of the judiciary and the Department of Public Prosecutions; (g) The State party’s efforts to set up a national human rights commission. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Convention 4. The Committee is aware of the difficulties that the State party faces in its prolonged fight against terrorism, but recalls that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever can be invoked as a justification for torture, and expresses concern at the possible restrictions of human rights which may result from measures taken for that purpose. D. Subjects of concern 5. The Committee is concerned about the following: (a) The fact that a state of emergency has been in force since 1981, hindering the full consolidation of the rule of law in Egypt;

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