Cairo: An Egyptian court has sentenced seven men to life in prison for sexual assaults on women during a number of public rallies in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square.
They are the first such heavy sentences against perpetrators of sexual violence following the government’s decision to toughen penalties. Sexual violence has been on the rise in Egypt, particularly during public gatherings in the past three years.
The charges stemmed from four different incidents of sexual assault, including one during celebrations of the inauguration of President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi in June.
In a nationally televised session yesterday, the judge sentenced the seven men to life in prison. Three of them received multiple life sentences for taking part in different assaults. Another two men each received two 20-year sentences.
The attacks took place as thousands of people gathered on the streets, raising new worries about Egypt’s commitment to fighting sexual violence.
A video was posted on YouTube showing a naked woman with injuries on her hip being dragged through a large crowd towards an ambulance. It drew a public outcry and led further victims to come forward.
Demonstrations
Sexual assault was rampant at demonstrations during and after the 2011 uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and has been common for a decade at large gatherings in Egypt.
Al Sissi has frequently spoken highly of women and their importance to society. A police officer who rescued a victim of harassment should be honoured, he ordered, in an apparent reference to the woman in the video.
But some liberals were initially wary of Al Sissi, especially after remarks he made defending an army practice - later denied by an army court - of conducting “virginity tests” on female protesters who complained of abuse.
Many say Egyptian society needs to take sexual harassment more seriously. One female television presenter on a private channel giggled when her colleague mentioned the harassment in Tahrir. The people were simply “happy”, she said.
