Egypt's ruling party is paying gangs of thugs to sexually assault women protesting
in Cairo's Tahrir Square against President Mohamed Morsi, activists said. They
also said the Muslim Brotherhood is paying gangs to beat up men who are taking
part in the latest round of protests, which followed a decree by President
Morsi to give himself sweeping new powers. Around 200,000 people gathered
yesterday in Tahrir Square, the heart of last year's revolution which toppled
President Hosni Mubarak.
Danger: women protesting in Cairo's Tahrir Square face the increased danger of sexual assault by large gangs of men
Large marches from around Cairo flowed into the square, chanting
'Constitution: Void!' and The people want to bring down the regime.' But amid
the calls for democracy a sinister threat has emerged. Magda Adly, the director
of the Nadeem Centre for Human Rights, said that under Mubarak, the Government
paid thugs to beat male protestors and sexually assault women. 'This is still
happening now,' she told The Times. 'I believe thugs are being paid money to do
this ... the Muslim Brotherhood have the same political approaches as Mubarak,'
she said. One protestor, Yasmine, told the newspaper how she had been in the
square filming the demonstrations for a few hours when the crowd suddenly
turned.
Protest: liberal opponents of President Morsi took to the streets yesterday angry at his decision to grant himself sweeping new powers
Before she knew what was happening, about 50 men had surrounded her and
began grabbing her breasts. She said they ripped off her clothes, starting with
her headscarf and for nearly an hour, indecently assaulted her with their
hands. A few men tried to help her but they were beaten away. Eventually some
residents who had seen the attack from their windows came to her aid and an
elderly couple pulled her into their home. She suffered internal injuries and
was unable to walk for a week. Four of Yasmine's friends were also sexually
assaulted in the square that day, in the summer. Afaf el-Sayed, a journalist
and activist, told the newspaper she was assaulted by a group of men while
protesting in Tahrir Square just over a month ago and she was sure her
attackers were 'thugs from the Muslim Brotherhood'.
Terror: CBS Correspondent Lara Logan described her assault by a mob in Tahrir Square as being 'raped with their hands'. This photo was taken moments before the attack
In February 2011 the correspondent for the American network CBS, Lara
Logan, endured a half-hour sexual assault in Tahrir Square by a group of men.
She said after the ordeal that she had been 'raped with their hands'. While the
exact frequency of these attacks is unknown, activists have reported nearly 20
attacks in the last ten days and say there has been a dramatic increase in mob
sex attacks on protestors in the last year. Most attacks take place in one
particular corner of the square, at roughly the same time every evening, and
usually starts with a group of men forming a human chain around women as if to
protect them.
Face-off: Some demonstrators yesterday wore masks, such as this man, who has an 'anonymous' mask on the back of his head similar to those worn by Occupy protestors in the US last year
Yasmine said she was almost sure the assault was planned. She managed to
throw her camera to a friend and was able to watch the footage later. She told
The Times: 'Just before the attack it looks like men are getting into position.
They look like they're up to something, they don't look like random
protestors.' The newspaper spoke to two men who admitted they were paid to
target female protestors. Victor and Tutu, both in their thirties, said they
operate in a group of around 65 local men and got paid between £10 and £20 a
time. But they would not reveal who pays them. 'We're told to go out and
sexually harass girls so they leave the demonstration,' Victor told The Times.
He said the aim was to cause disruption and instil fear in protesters. He said
members of the public sometimes joined in. Protestors in Tahrir Square
yesterday angrily vowed to bring down a draft constitution approved by allies
of President Morsi.
Religious liberty: although this protestor holds up a Qu'ran and a crucifix, human rights groups warn that the draft constitution is bad news for minorities in Egypt such as the Coptic Christian community
The protests have highlighted an increasingly united opposition
leadership of prominent liberal and secular politicians trying to direct public
anger against Morsi and the Islamists - a contrast to the leaderless youth
uprising last year, which toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Figures from a new
leadership coalition took the stage to address the crowds. The coalition, known
as the National Salvation Front, includes prominent democracy advocate Nobel
Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, leftist Hamdeen Sabbahi and former Arab
League chief Amr Moussa. 'We are determined to continue with all peaceful
means, whatever it takes to defend our legitimate rights,' ElBaradei told the
crowd. He later posted on Twitter that Morsi and his allies are "staging a
coup against democracy" and that the regime's legitimacy 'is eroding'.
Oppression: An anti-Morsi protester chains his hands during yesterday's demonstrations, to symbolise the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood
Sabbahi vowed protests would go on until 'we topple the constitution'. The opposition announced plans for an intensified street campaign of
protests and civil disobedience and even a possible march on Morsi's
presidential palace to prevent him from calling a nationwide referendum on the
draft, which it must pass to come into effect. Top judges announced Friday they
may refuse to monitor any referendum, rendering it invalid. If a referendum is
called, "we'will go to him at the palace and topple him,' insisted one
protester, Yasser Said, a businessman who said he voted for Morsi in last
summer's presidential election.
Struggle: opponents of President Morsi vowed to keep fighting until the constitution rushed through by the Government is thrown out
Islamists, however, are gearing up as well. The Muslim Brotherhood
drummed up supporters for its own mass rally today and boasted the turnout
would show that the public supports Morsi's efforts to push through a
constitution. Brotherhood activists in several cities handed out fliers calling
for people to come out and "support Islamic law". A number of Muslim
clerics in Friday sermons in the southern city of Assiut called the president's
opponents "enemies of God and Islam". The week-long unrest has already seen clashes between Islamists and the
opposition that left two dead and hundreds injured. On Friday, Morsi opponents
and supporters rained stones and firebombs on each other in the cities of
Alexandria and Luxor.
The Islamist-led assembly that worked on the draft for months passed it
in a rushed, 16-hour session that lasted until sunrise on Friday. The vote was
abruptly moved up to pass the draft before Egypt's Constitutional Court rules
on Sunday whether to dissolve the assembly. Liberal, secular and Christian
members and secular members had already quit the council to protest what they
call Islamists' hijacking of the process. The draft was to be sent to Morsi
today to decide on a date for a referendum, possibly in mid-December. The draft has a distinctive Islamic bent - enough to worry many that
civil liberties could be restricted, though its provisions for enforcing
Sharia, or Islamic law, are not as firm as ultra-conservatives wished.
Protests were first sparked when Morsi last week issued decrees granting
himself sweeping powers that neutralized the judiciary. Morsi said the move was
needed to stop the courts - where anti-Islamist or Mubarak-era judges hold many
powerful posts - from dissolving the assembly and further delaying Egypt's
transition. Opponents, however, accused Morsi of grabbing near-dictatorial
powers by sidelining the one branch of government he doesn't control.
Daily Mail UK
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