Victims are raped, abused and given electric shocks in order to extract confessions,says report.

CAIRO (AP) - Amnesty international assails Egyptian authorities accusing them of using abduction, torture and other tactics as a way of stifling dissent.

London-based Amnesty International says there has been an "unprecedented spike" in enforced disappearances in Egypt since early 2015 on the pretext of fighting terrorism.

Amnesty's report — entitled "Egypt: ‘officially, you do not exist'- documents 17 cases revealing “the shocking and ruthless tactics” of the Egyptian authorities to crack down on government opponents. Rape, electric shocks, and arrests of other family members were also used to force victims to give false confessions, it said.

The country's Foreign Ministry promptly lashed back at Amnesty International by saying the group was being "biased" and it seeks to "tarnish Egypt's image."

Amnesty director Philip Luther said: "The report exposes not only the brutality faced by those disappeared but also the collusion between national security forces and judicial authorities, who have been prepared to lie to cover their tracks or failed to investigate torture allegations, making them complicit in serious human rights violations.”

Victims range from political activists to children as young as 14 years old, the group said, adding that its report is based on more than 70 interviews with lawyers, non-government organizations, released detainees and family members of victims of torture and enforced disappearance.

One case tells of a 14-year-old Mazen Mohamed Abdallah who, the report says, was repeatedly raped, abused and given electric shock in order to extract false confessions.

His mother is quoted saying in the report as being awoken one morning at around 3:00am, opening her door to about 30 heavily armed security forces.

"I tried to ask where they will be taking him but they refused to disclose any information," she said.

   "Then, they blindfolded my 14-year-old child and handcuffed him from behind as they do with criminals, and took him downstairs. I did not know whether this was reality or I was dreaming."

Amnesty also noted such tactics raise suspicions of police involvement in the case of the disappearance, torture, and death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who vanished on Jan. 25. His body was later found with torture marks near Cairo. Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied that security agencies were involved in Regeni's death. The case has soured Egyptian-Italian relations.