Cairo: A video, showing a group of youth taking turns in assaulting a mentally challenged boy in an Egyptian province, has triggered outrage in the country.
In the video, which went viral online, the assailants are seen kicking and smacking the boy inside a barber’s shop in a village in the Delta province of Sharqia, around 90 kilometres north of Cairo.
The boy appears writhing in pain as the assailants, who seem to know him, shower him with kicks, slaps in the face and insults as they laugh.
One person is also seen recording the assault on his mobile phone and is believed to have later posted it online.
Egyptian police said they had identified the attackers and the 17-year-old victim. The Interior Ministry added in a statement that six people were arrested in connection with the attack. They included the owner of the shop and an electrician who taped the assault before uploading it on the Web.
In investigations, the suspects admitted to having assaulted the boy after the owner of the shop had accused him of stealing a stereo system, according to the ministry. The suspects are being kept in police custody pending further questioning.
If convicted, they can be jailed for at least six months in jail under a law issued last year for the protection of the disabled people.
In recent years, Egypt has launched a string of campaigns aimed at raising public awareness of rights of the physically and mentally challenged in the country.
