Call for new investigation of attacks on women journalists in Cairo

Reporters Without Borders expressed astonishment today at the Cairo prosecutor-general's announcement that the legal enquiry into physical attacks on women journalists by government supporters during protests in Cairo on 25 May last year had been closed for lack of suspects. It pointed out that a list of suspects and filmed evidence had been sent to the authorities. It called for a new investigation of the incidents and for steps to ensure journalists could do their job safely. “The government seems to be totally unconcerned about the increasingly serious attacks on journalists in Egypt,” it said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16.06.2005 Call to protect attacked women journalists Reporters Without Borders expressed outrage today at what it called "an unacceptable campaign of intimidation and denigration" against more than a dozen women journalists physically attacked by police and government supporters and called on the authorities to give them official protection. The journalists (12 Egyptians and three foreigners) were among a large number of women physically attacked during demonstrations on 25 May, the day of a constitutional referendum, by police and members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). "They are being threatened by government officials and attacked by the state-owned media because they dare to demonstrate," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "They are targeted because they are both journalists and women in a country where their rights are far from guaranteed. "We call on President Hosni Mubarak to end this harassment and see that those responsible for this violence are punished. We also demand that prosecutor-general Maher Abdel Wahed, who has promised to punish them, provides security for the victims." Egyptian journalists Nawal Mohamad Ali, Iman Taha, Shaimaa Abu al-Kheir, Abir al- Askari, Rabiaa Zayat, Nura Yunes, Rabab Mahdi, Magda Adli, Ranwa Yehia, Sarah Dib, Iman Taha Kamel and Dr Aidaa Seifeddowla, as well as three foreign female reporters for the US news agency the Associated Press, the daily Los Angeles Times and the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), were attacked. Some had their clothes torn off, were groped or otherwise humiliated. Several were hospitalised. Most of the attacks took place in front of the Egyptian national union of journalists office in Cairo and near the Saad Mausoleum during protests in support of a call by the opposition Kefaya ("Enough!"") movement to boycott the referendum. Most of those attacked were reporting on the events, others were taking part and some were just bystanders. Nawal Mohamad Ali, of the newspaper Al-Guil ("The Generation"), had gone into the journalists' union building to attend an English class when she was attacked by several former prisoners now working for the regime. They tore off her clothes and exposed her body so people could see and touch her. Some lay on top of her, pretending to have sex. Colleagues who tried to help her and cover up her body were beaten. Her mobile phone, money and jewellery were stolen from her bag. Iman Taha, 30, formerly with the pro-government daily Nahdet Misr, had her pelvis broken when she was beaten up by NDP supporters during a demonstration she was in outside the union offices. She told AFP that police let about 100 men through the security barrier to attack the protesters. "One of them pinned me against the wall and kicked me twice very hard in the stomach," she said. "I collapsed but he kept hitting me. A policeman told me: 'Don't bother to complain. It serves you right for demonstrating.' The police refused to call an ambulance and then stopped me taking refuge in the union building." She was hospitalised. Journalist Sara Dib, daughter of prominent writer Alaa Dib, was similarly beaten in front of the Saad Mausoleum. At least five male journalists were also attacked by police and security forces. They were Abdel Halim Qandil, of the daily Al Araby ("The Arab"), Mohamed Abdel Qaduss, of the Journalists' Syndicate Freedoms Committee, and Abir al-Askary, Hany al-Asr and Wael Tawfiq, all of the daily Al-Dustur ("The Constitution"), according to the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights. Several pro-government journalists claimed next day that the women had voluntarily taken off their clothes in public. The journalists' union called for the sacking of interior minister Habib al-Adli as being responsible for the violence and filed a complaint with the prosecutor-general. Hundreds of women dressed in black and wearing white ribbons demonstrated with the support of many men on 1 June, which was declared a national day of "mourning and anger." US President George Bush and many international human rights organisations strongly condemned the 25 May violence.