Women journalists beaten, sexually assaulted in Cairo

Saturday 26 Nov 2011
A French journalist working for public television channel France 3 has alleged that she had been violently beaten and sexually assaulted while covering the protests in Cairo, Egypt.

Caroline Sinz said that she and her cameraman, Salah Agrabi, had been confronted in a road leading from Tahrir Square to the interior ministry, the scene of days of deadly clashes between police and protesters demanding democratic change.

“We were filming when we were mobbed by young people who were about 14 or 15,” said Ms Sinz.

The journalist and her cameraman were then dragged by a group of men towards Tahrir Square where they were separated, she said.

“I was beaten by a group of youngsters and adults who tore my clothes.” She said she was molested her in a way that “would be considered rape”.

“I was lynched. It lasted three quarters of an hour. I thought I was going to die,” she said. Her cameraman was also beaten.

Ms Sinz was finally rescued by a group of Egyptians and returned to her hotel.

Award-winning Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy also said she was sexually assaulted and beaten by police in the interior ministry building..

“Five or six (men) surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers.

“My left arm and right hand are broken,” she said, posting pictures of herself in casts.

Tahrir Square is the same location where CBS News reporter Lara Logan was sexually assaulted last February.