Cairo - At least 32 African migrants were shot dead by Egyptian guards since June 2007, while Israel has forcibly returned at least 139 border crossers to Egypt, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Wednesday.

In the 90-page report, "Sinai Perils: Risks to Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Egypt and Israel," the rights group called on Egypt to halt the use of lethal force against border crossers and all deportations of persons to countries where they risk persecution or ill-treatment.

It also urged Israel to halt forced returns of migrants to Egypt, where they face military court trials and possible unlawful deportation to their countries of origin.

Human Rights Watch found that both Egypt and Israel have failed to respect basic asylum procedures.

"This report tackles a very important issue," Hafez Abu Saeda, Secretary General of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"Shooting migrants is not understandable, because whether they are legal or illegal migrants they are not dangerous. They should be caught and presented to the Refugee Agency," Abu Saeda said.

"But to kill women, young people and children is totally unacceptable," Abu Saeda added.

According to the report, 32 out of the 33 victims were African. They ranged in age from a 7-year-old girl to a man in his 50s.

The report added that Egypt puts migrants on trial before military courts, and denies the UN refugee agency access to some of them. Israel also separates families and detains migrants in conditions that are inadequate.

"Any asylum seeker should chose where he wants to live. Any country can refuse to allow him in, but it should not send him back to the country he escaped from, because he may face torture or even be executed there," Abu Saeda said.

"And why are migrants being put on trial before military courts? They were crossing borders not a military restricted area," added the Egyptian human rights advocate.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 69 migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Egypt and Israel for the report, as well as government officials and refugee rights organizations in both countries. (dpa)