The Rape of Fatima…a new crime perpetrated by Egyptian security officials

The incident of the rape of a young woman by police officers at Al-Marj Police Station has aroused anger on social networks. This came after the case was introduced to the public on Al-Sharq Satellite TV Channel by the director of the Victims Centre for Human Rights.

In his TV programme entitled “Our Rights”, Haitham Abu Khalil received a phone call from an 18-year-old rape victim called Fatima who provided a detailed account of what happened to her at Al-Marj Police Station. She accused police officer Mahmoud Al-Husseini of raping her, and two other policemen of shackling her.

Fatima said: “I was taken from my home at six in the evening of 30 January. I was beaten in front of my parents and they stole things from our home. I was taken to Al-Marj Police Station where I was tortured, electrified and then raped.”

“Then I was transferred to Al-Matariyah Police Station where police officer Ahmad Yayha said: ‘It is good you have not come to us pregnant’. He tortured me severely so as to divulge the names of young opposition members in Al-Matariyah,” she explained.

“If you take to the streets because of petrol and bread, then you are not real men. Take to the streets to regain my right and the rights of all the detained girls. I would like to say to the officer who raped me: you did everything in order to prevent me from telling the truth, but I shall keep telling the truth until truth is victorious and I am able to exact my revenge on you.”

Speaking to the same programme, the brother of the victim said: “What can we do? Is this permitted or prohibited? An 18-year-old young woman is subjected to this! Where are our rights? Who should we report this to and against who? What else will they do? They are killing people everywhere. We are in a jungle.”

The revelation lead to the hashtag #اغتصاب_فاطمة (The rape of Fatima) being used on Twitter. Asma’ Al-Ghazali tweeted: “Should Fatima’s brother, who is despairing for his sister, kill officer Al-Husseini who raped his sister and wanted other police officers to rape her .. would anyone blame him?”

Faridah Muhammad said: “In Egypt’s prisons and police stations women, children and even men are being raped. Keep in mind that the dignity of the Egyptian citizen is a red line.”

Muhammad Sharif wrote: “Fatima was raped by the dogs of the Interior Ministry because she took to the streets in defence of her freedom. Fatima is not the first case; there are many others like her. Are you still content with peacefulness?”

Amr Muhammad said: “Silence regarding previous incidents, while no girl had her right restored, is what led to the repeat of the same thing. The indifference and silence shown by all has regrettably made this very routine.”

Ali Mustafa tweeted: “An incident like this is sufficient to mobilise entire nations and bring down regimes. Yet, a thousand incident of this sort will change nothing as far as those who have lost their religion, dignity and manhood are concerned.”

Amir Ali wrote: “If you are not going to rise in defence of your honour, when will you rise?”

Ayman Mustafa said: “A state without law, a regime without legitimacy, a people without zeal. We deserve ISIS.”