The National Council for Human Rights has said that 2,028 people have been injured and 56 killed in the upsurge of violence since the second anniversary of the January 25 Revolution.

The council, which is a semi-governmental body, said that 1,667 civilians and 361 police across eight governorates have been injured. Fifty-three civilians and three police officers have died.

Moreover, 35 governmental institutions and 13 private institutions have been attacked.

Until Wednesday, 450 protesters had been detained, with 70 released pending investigations.

An council fact-finding committee went to Port Said, Ismailiya, Suez, Alexandria, Beheira, Sharqiya, Cairo and Gharbeya. During these visits, 75 testimonies were collected from eyewitnesses, injured people recovering in hospital, government officials, and heads of government hospitals.

The report called for a committee to be formed to hold guilty persons accountable.

The right to peaceful protest is protected by international human rights law, it added.

There must be an inclusive national dialogue to end the wave of bloodshed and stop it from happening again, the report said.

A number of examples of alleged torture by police have come to light in recent weeks, including the killing of leftist activist Mohamed El-Gendy.

On Wednesday, the presidential office said it would not remain silent on human rights abuses, in reference to the death of El-Gendy.

This article was corrected on Friday 8 February 2013. The article wrongly cited that the abovementioned report was issued by the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR).