Amnesty keeps watchful eye on Egyptian courts
London, 09 Mar – (ANA) - The final session of the trial of an Egyptian military doctor accused of conducting forced “virginity tests” on Samira Ibrahim, a woman protester, will show if Egypt’s military courts are prepared to offer any redress for female victims of violence by the army, human rights group Amnesty International said today. On 11 March, a military court is expected to deliver a verdict in the case of the military doctor facing charges of “public indecency” and “disobeying military orders” for coercing women to undergo the invasive tests after they were arrested at a Cairo protest on 9 March, 2011. The initial charges faced by the doctor included rape but this charge has been dropped from the indictment. In the year since then, violence against female protesters by the security forces has plagued public demonstrations in Egypt. “Ever since this unacceptable episode, which is nothing less than torture, women protesters have repeatedly faced beatings, torture and other ill-treatment at the hands of Egypt’s army and security forces,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International. “The ‘virginity tests’ trial is a rare opportunity for Egypt’s military to signal that torture by the army does not go unpunished and that perpetrators of human rights violations among its ranks will be held to account.” (ANA)
FA/ANA/09 March 2012--------