NGO cites cases of torture towards Morsi supporters

CAIRO — A human rights group has documented more than 270 cases of torture and three rape cases against detained supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in March.

Egyptian Observatory for Rights and Freedoms' statement released on Saturday. NGO reports 27 cases of sexual harassment against women detainees and three cases of male rape inside detention facilities.

Egyptian NGO expressed concern over what it described as the maltreatment of detainees, particularly students, by the military-backed authorities.

The statement cited the testimony of the mother of a 19-year old Al-Azhar University student about his alleged rape by police officers. "He was badly beaten, tortured with electric shocks in sensitive body parts and was subject to sexual violations by the officers," his mother said.

Government security sources deny claims of discriminating against certain detainees, particularly those of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt's military-backed authorities have launched a massive crackdown on supporters of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group since the Islamist leader's ouster by the military last July.

In the almost ten months since Morsi's ouster, thousands of the groups' members and sympathizers have been arrested.