2 given life sentences, another 20 years, for Tahrir mob sexual assaults

Cairo Criminal Court handed a life sentence to two defendants and 20 years in prison to a third for a mob sexual assault that took place in Tahrir Square during the inauguration celebrations of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in early June, the official Middle East News Agency reported on Thursday.

Karim Shaaban, 19, Ahmed Saeed, 27, and Magdy al-Sayed, 16, were convicted for sexually assaulting two women in Tahrir square after kidnapping them, torturing and robbing them, as well as attempted murder and rape.

Thousands of people filled Tahrir Square to celebrate Sisi’s win, but as the evening got darker at least six women were violently sexually assaulted by mobs of youths. A video showing the incident went viral on social media, causing uproar against the endemic practice.

The survivor of the incident is a 42-year-old woman who had gone to the Square to witness the celebrations when her and her daughter were violently sexually assaulted. Her bloodied and bruised naked body was graphically shown in the contentious video.

The woman is still in hospital receiving treatment for burns on 40 percent of her body after someone threw hot water on her and surgery for wounds to her genitalia. She received a visit from President Sisi, who apologized to her and promised he’d get her rights back.

This is the fifth case of sexual violence that the same court has heard. On July 16, nine defendants received prison sentences for similar sexual assault incidents in Tahrir.