7 arrested for sexually assaulting women during Tahrir Square celebration

The Egyptian authorities have arrested seven men for sexual assault against women in the vicinity of Tahrir Square in Cairo during mass celebration last Sunday’s inauguration of President Sisi Abdelfattah, said Monday the Egypt Ministry of the Interior.

The arrests were announced after the release of a video on YouTube showing a group of men surrounding a woman without clothese. The images also sees a policeman who tries to rescue the victim, who is finally brought to an ambulance. It is still unclear if the video is a typical attacks occurred during the celebrations for the inauguration of Al Sisi.

The authorities have not clarified whether the alleged attackers of the woman in the video are among the seven arrested. According to information, the detainees are between 15 and 49, and will remain in custody while the investigation is complete. Two of the suspects have admitted that struck a woman during the celebrations. The other five denied the allegations and claimed that they felt provoked by the women attending the celebration.

Egypt last week approved a decree that considers sexual harassment a criminal offense. The law provides for prison sentences and heavy fines for offenders, but the women’s organizations think the measures are are insufficient. In a statement after the events of Tahrir, 25 NGOs have described the attacks as “savages” and called for more legal reforms and a “comprehensive national strategy ” to combat sexual violence in the country.

Judicial sources say that new law will be applicable on the alleged perpetrators of the attacks on women last Sunday. Detainees are well exposed to sentences of between six months and five years, depending on the severity of the assault. Fines range between 320 and 5,500 euros.

Al Sisi, who vowed on Sunday his office a year after ousting in a coup Islamist Mohamed Morsi, stressed the importance of women in Egyptian society, but did not mention specific plans against the scourge of sexual harassment. According to a recent study by the United Nations, 99 % of Egyptian over 18 states that they have been the victim of sexual, verbal harassment or molestation, and nearly half said they suffered it daily.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Jun 11 2014. Filed under Latest News, Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.