E/CN.4/1995/34 page 42 213. Munbeih Nagih Ali was reportedly tortured for eight hours by an investigator from the Qalyb police section, who forced his way into her house, beat her with a shoe and threw her 15-day-old granddaughter to the ground. The officer then allegedly took her to the police station and in the presence of several onlookers whipped her, undressed her, tied her hands and feet and threatened her with rape. The DPP was said to have corroborated that she had sustained multiple injuries and to have ordered a medical report to be made at Qalyb hospital. The Government replied that the DPP had conducted an investigation and had charged the officer with the offence of using brutality, but had released him on his own recognizance. The case was still awaiting final settlement. 214. Ahmed Farouq Ahmed Ali was arrested on 2 September 1993 in connection with a plot to assassinate the Interior Minister and he died the next day, allegedly as a result of torture. His father and 13 members of his family had been arrested and taken to the SSI office in Dokki, where they allegedly were subjected to beatings and insults and the women were threatened with rape. On 4 September 1993, his father was told that Ahmed Farouq Ahmed Ali had died of a heart attack. A death certificate noted that an examination of the corpse had revealed the presence of injuries and that the cause of death was under investigation. The Government replied that the forensic report indicated that the death was caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure which affected the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The autopsy revealed aortic atheroma, an opaque tumour, nephremia, pulmonary schistosomiasis and cirrhosis of the liver. His pathological condition was chronic and, in itself, was likely to prove fatal without any other external factors. The DPP decided to suspend further investigations. 215. The Special Rapporteur also transmitted to the Government information he had received indicating that the practice of torture was widespread in Egyptian prisons. Collective mass punishments were reportedly carried out with frequency, especially where members of Islamic political groups were held en masse. Tear gas, truncheons, whips and dogs were allegedly used against prisoners and reprisals were said to be carried out pursuant to laws and regulation that had been intended to protect the security, health and hygiene of the prisons. 216. An incident of mass punishment was reportedly carried out by a joint force of soldiers, police and special forces on 5 September 1993 at the Abu Za’bal El-Sna’i Prison in Qalyubiya governorate. The forces allegedly removed each prisoner from two of the cell blocks, beat them, dragged them along the ground and set dogs on them. When inmates of two other cell blocks refused to emerge from their cells, they were allegedly shot at with tear gas and rubber bullets. Ahmed Mourad, Mohamed Ibrahim, Ali Hafez, Moustafa Bakri, Ahmed Hashish and Ali Hassan Ali were said to have been severely injured in the incident. After some prisoners went on a hunger strike in protest, they were allegedly taken to the SSI officers’ room in the prison and subjected to torture and whippings. Another disciplinary campaign reportedly followed on 24 October 1993, resulting in serious injuries to 16 inmates, including head and facial wounds, bruising on the back, and wounds from rubber pellets.