An army doctor was acquitted on Sunday of carrying out forced “virginity tests” on female protesters in Egypt last year, dealing a blow to activists and the women at the center of the case.
Ahmed Adel was found not guilty of public indecency by a military court in Cairo. He was accused of performing the tests on seven women at a military prison who had been arrested in Tahrir Square on March 9 last year.
The presiding judge said there had been contradictions in the witness testimonies of the three women who came forward.
The first woman to file charges, Samira Ibrahim, was outside court when the verdict was announced. Visibly upset, she joined others in chanting against military rule.
She later said on Twitter: “Nobody assaulted my honor. It was Egypt’s honor that was assaulted and I will keep going till the very end to regain its rights.”
Adel was charged with public indecency and disobeying military orders. After the verdict he told the press that the case was only brought because of pressure from the media and foreign organizations such as Amnesty International and Freedom House, whose motives he questioned.
Soha Abdel-Aty, the assistant director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which represents Ibrahim, told the Guardian she had no expectation of justice and no faith in a military court, as it was not independent.
“This is entirely a show to convince public opinion an investigation was conducted. The whole sham started out with the fact that the military prosecutor decided to bring this doctor to court with an accusation that did not fit the bill,” she said.
The charges referred to the conducting of a medical examination in an open space, and thus the allegation of the “virginity tests” was never even acknowledged, she said.
Major General Adel al-Mursi, the head of the military prosecution, defended the verdict in a statement carried by Egypt’s official news agency. He said the judge ruled “according to his conscience and in view of the case’s documents.”
A march to Cairo’s high court has been called for Friday, to coincide with Egyptian women’s day.
In December last year, Ibrahim won a case at the Cairo administrative courts that virginity tests were illegal. It was seen as a victory for the women involved and encouraged others to come forward. Straight after that ruling, it was announced that Adel would face a military trial.
The EIPR had initially filed a complaint to the public prosecutor.. There is no appeals process in military trials and no criminal liability can now be pursued, but the EIPR is looking at pursuing the case at the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.
SEE EGYPTIAN ON PAGE 7
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