According to the council, the delegation was briefed by Tarek Marzouk, the aid to the interior minister for social protection, on how the facility meets international standards related to providing health care and adequate nutrition, ensuring the right to education and culture, allocating time for inmates to exercise and allowing direct visits between inmates and their families.

The NCHR delegation, which was led by its President Ambassador Moushira Khattab, visited the centre’s hospital where the doctors monitored the health of the inmates and provided them with a full medical care.

The delegation also checked in on the health of a numbers of inmates, including activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah who was transferred to the centre in May to continue serving his a five-year-sentence for "joining a terrorist group and spreading false news."

The NCHR appealed to the interior ministry to transfer Abdel-Fattah from Tora prison after family reported he was on a hunger strike since last April to protest his conditions in prison.

According to the delegation, Abdel-Fattah’s condition was stable and vital signs were normal and was being closely monitored by doctors. The NCHR statement added that the renowned activist was receiving food provided by the prison, including buying food from the canteen.

Neither Alaa Abdel-Fattah nor any other inmate reported to the centre’s management that they are on hunger strike, the NCHR statement said.

Abdel-Fattah’s family maintains that he is still on a hunger strike.

The NCHR delegation also visited the literacy classes, the mosque, the church and the centre’s kitchen, and followed up the quality of meals provided to the inmates.

The delegation also visited the industrial complex consisting of a wood and metal factory, a feed factory, livestock and poultry, and organic greenhouses to rehabilitate the inmates to master various crafts.

Then the delegation was briefed on the situation in the female inmates' wards, nurseries, and the inmates' production of handicrafts

The delegation also spoke to a number of inmates and their families during visiting times and listened to their demands.

The visit comes as part of a series of the council’s mandate to periodically visit and assess reform and rehabilitation centres.

Wadi Al-Natroun Rehabilitation Centre, which was inaugurated last fall, is one of the largest such centres worldwide and is managed based on international standards of human rights and modern technology, according to the Ministry of Interior.

According to the interior ministry, 12 prisons – representing 25 percent of the total prisons in Egypt – would be closed after the centre formally begins its operation.