NEW YORK, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- New York-based Human Rights Watch accused the Egyptian government of arresting 22 men on terror charges two years ago without evidence.
In a report issued Tuesday, the New York-based group said the men were tortured into making false confessions.
Last year, Egypt's Interior Ministry announced the arrest of the men, accusing them of a string of plots in Cairo, including attacking pipelines, tourists and Christian clerics.
"The Victorious Sect arrests demonstrate how the State Security Investigations uses torture and arbitrary detention to make people confess to crimes real or imagined," said Joanne Mariner, terrorism and counter-terrorism director at Human Rights Watch.
The report "Anatomy of a State Security Case: The Victorious Sect Arrests" says 10 of the 22 men arrested in the case are still in custody.
Those who were released are afraid to speak openly for fear of harassment by government agents, the group said.
