The event was organized in cooperation with the European Union, a donor partner, according to a statement by the NCHR on Friday.

It was attended by a group of law experts, university professors, senators and Mps, as well as representatives of the lawyers syndicate, judicial bodies and civil society.

The discussions tackled topics including human rights during investigations, the problems of, and alternatives to, pretrial detention, as well as the importance of fair and public trials, and technological alternatives.

The sessions produced a number of recommendations that will be considered by the Egyptian parliament when they amend the Code of Criminal Procedure, the statement added.

Essam Shiha, a member of the NCHR, emphasised the council's keenness to engage with legislation closely related to human rights, saying this "is at the heart of the work and competence of the Legislative Committee."

Achieving a fair criminal trial requires a series of steps, NCHR President Moushira Khattab said, noting that council will allocate a session to discuss each of them.

Khattab also stressed the need to look at the punitive philosophy and its purpose, given that the goal should be to prevent the causes of crime and to rehabilitate and integrate those who violated the law.