The U.N. human rights office says it is urging Egyptian authorities to let it deploy monitors to the violence-ridden country.

Spokeswoman of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva today that the office was seeking a green light to send “several” human rights observers to assess the situation.

“Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members are reported to have been detained in recent days – among these are some of its leaders.  Everyone deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely and afforded all judicial guarantees under international law,” she added.

Last Thursday, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay demanded an “independent, impartial and credible” probe into the bloody crackdown by Egypt’s security forces, saying anyone found guilty of wrongdoing should be held to account.  Government officials said more than 500 had been killed while the Muslim Brotherhood put the figure at more than 2,000.

Egypt is under a state of emergency as the military-backed interim leaders cracks down on Islamists opposed to the ousting of Mr Morsi.

Hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood – the movement from which Mr Morsi comes – have been detained since Mr Morsi’s overthrow on 3 July.