Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo)
20 December 2011
press release
Different media means and social media (facebook) has circulated a set of videos among which one of military police while assaulting a veiled girl and remove the veil away from her face, disrobe her and drag her along and beat her with their military boots all over her body.
Another video reveal the assault of old woman who has been dragged from her hair and beaten by the military sticks.
In addition, a number of female youth have been arrested and beaten among whom some are in hospitals now with a deteriorated health condition, besides they have been exposed to sexual harassment and being threatened by rape, among them: Abeer Said Mohamed Mostafa – Samar Mohamed Saad Abu El Maaty – Sara Ali Mohamed El Said – Yousra Salah Abeed Metwali – Rasha Khaled Gad Abd El Mawgod – Marwa Said Seif El Din “hospital” – Nema Ali Saeed Muslim “hospital” – Hend Nafaa Badwe “hospital” Hadeer Farouk Abd El Aziz “hospital ” –
These assaults come in the context of violence deeds committed by military police forces to disperse the cabinet sit-in by force.
These incidents recall the incidents of barefaced assault on female political activists and journalists in front of the journalists and lawyers syndicates in the referendum day of the constitutional amendments on 25th May 2005. Also they recall what had been happened with female youth while dispersing Tahrir sit-in by force on 9th March 2011 when the arrest females have been exposed to what is called ” virginity detection”.
Again, the same repressive policies are being used among which targeting women’s bodies to the extent that assaulting them aiming at weakening their will and their ability to resist and also their peer men, and other crimes committed by the previous regime in order to disperse the peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations by force.
Accordingly, the under signed organizations express their condemnation and full rejection to all oppression forms suffered by male and female protesters in front of the cabinet and demand.
Ceasing all violence forms committed against male and female protesters.
Immediate and just investigation by independent judicial body, and taking all necessary procedures against who has been found guilty and being punished.
The undersigned organizations ascertained that these oppressive practices will not deter male and female protesters from advancing and continuing their struggle to achieve the revolution’s demands: freedom, dignity and social justice:
The Signatories Organizations
- The Task Force of Combating Sexual Violence
- Feminist Organizations Coalition
- CEDAW Egypt Coalition
- The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- The Arab Office for Law
- The Arab Association for supporting Civil Society and Human Rights
- The Egyptian Association for Family Development
- Omi Association for Rights and Development
- Al Sawahelaiya Association for Community Development
- Port Fouad Association for Childhood and Family Care
- Kalmitna Association for Dialogue and Development
- Mobadroon for Supporting Cultural Development and Media
- Al Ganob Center for Human Rights
- Al Shaheed Center For Defending Rights
- Cairo Center for Development
- Appropriate Communications Center for Development “ACT”
- Woman Development Forum
- New Woman Foundation
- Woman and Memory Foundation
- Helwan Association for Community Development (Bashayer)
- Sahm El Thiqa Association
- The Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance
- Nazra for Feminist Studies
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