Egypt's Prosecutor-General opens investigation into Cairo hotel gang rape after pressure from campaigners
Egypt's Prosecutor-General opens investigation into Cairo hotel gang rape after pressure from campaigners
Egypt's public prosecution has ordered an investigation into an alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old woman at an upscale Cairo hotel following a sustained online campaign gathering evidence and testimonies
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Multiple witnesses have spoken out about the incident in Cairo's five-star Fairmont hotel [Getty]
Egypt's public prosecution has launched an investigation into an alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old woman at Cairo's Fairmont Nile City hotel, it announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, the public prosecution explained that it had received a file from the National Council for Women (NCW) with a complaint from a young woman claiming to have been sexually abused at the hotel in 2014.
The file also includes multiple other testimonies about the incident, the statement said.
"The prosecutor general has ordered a judicial examination of the submitted papers and an investigation into the incident, and the public prosecution will announce the results of the investigations at a time it deems appropriate, in order to preserve the sanctity of the investigations and their conduct," it said.
The investigation comes after a sustained online campaign calling for the perpetrators to face justice, after details of the incident were recently publicised on social media.
The campaign was launched following the landmark arrest and investigation of Ahmed Bassem Zaki, a former student at the American University in Cairo (AUC), after over 50 women claimed he had assaulted them over a number of years, dozens of whom published their testimonies over social media.
In a statement, the public prosecution explained that it had received a file from the National Council for Women (NCW) with a complaint from a young woman claiming to have been sexually abused at the hotel in 2014.
The file also includes multiple other testimonies about the incident, the statement said.
"The prosecutor general has ordered a judicial examination of the submitted papers and an investigation into the incident, and the public prosecution will announce the results of the investigations at a time it deems appropriate, in order to preserve the sanctity of the investigations and their conduct," it said.
The investigation comes after a sustained online campaign calling for the perpetrators to face justice, after details of the incident were recently publicised on social media.
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The campaign was launched following the landmark arrest and investigation of Ahmed Bassem Zaki, a former student at the American University in Cairo (AUC), after over 50 women claimed he had assaulted them over a number of years, dozens of whom published their testimonies over social media.
Campaigners have for weeks called on the National Council of Women, which publicly backed the arrest of Zaki, to pressure the prosecution to investigate the comprehensive claims and evidence about the incident at the Fairmont, dubbed the "Fairmont Crime".
An investigation by independent media outlet Egyptian Streets compiled a number of testimonies and video evidence from the night at the Fairmont. The report details how the group of alleged rapists held a private after-party in a hotel room following an event at a suite in the same hotel.
The report compiles several testimonies alleging that four men drugged and raped an unconscious 18-year-old woman. The incident was allegedly recorded on video and was widely shared among the perpetrators and their friends.
This videos are now central to the legal case against the alleged rapists.
The report also details how the figures central to exposing the Fairmont incident have been subject to intimidation and even death threats.
A legal complaint has reportedly been filed in relation to at least one other alleged rape carried out by some of the men involved in the Fairmont incident.
The vast majority of Egyptian media has stayed silent on the Fairmont incident, despite growing support for the victims across social media.
Prominent Egyptian figures have joined the calls for justice, including TV presenter Radwa El Sherbiny, who posted about the incident to her 11 million Instagram followers.
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An investigation by independent media outlet Egyptian Streets compiled a number of testimonies and video evidence from the night at the Fairmont. The report details how the group of alleged rapists held a private after-party in a hotel room following an event at a suite in the same hotel.
The report compiles several testimonies alleging that four men drugged and raped an unconscious 18-year-old woman. The incident was allegedly recorded on video and was widely shared among the perpetrators and their friends.
This videos are now central to the legal case against the alleged rapists.
The report also details how the figures central to exposing the Fairmont incident have been subject to intimidation and even death threats.
A legal complaint has reportedly been filed in relation to at least one other alleged rape carried out by some of the men involved in the Fairmont incident.
The vast majority of Egyptian media has stayed silent on the Fairmont incident, despite growing support for the victims across social media.
Prominent Egyptian figures have joined the calls for justice, including TV presenter Radwa El Sherbiny, who posted about the incident to her 11 million Instagram followers.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected
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