Attacks on Women Protesters in Egypt

At least two people were killed Monday in fresh clashes between Egypt’s military and protesters demanding an end to military rule.

More than a dozen people have died in four days of violence now and more than hundreds have been injured.

One shocking image from the clashes this weekend stands out. It shows a woman wearing an Islamic robe being dragged, semi-clothed and unconscious, by soldiers.

Video footage shows her being beaten too.

Anchor Marco Werman talks to New York-based journalist Mona Eltahawy who was recently attacked while covering the unrest in Egypt.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman and this is The World, a coproduction of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. At least two people were killed today in fresh clashed between Egypt’s military and protestors demanding an end to military rule. About a dozen people have died in four days of violence now, hundreds more have been injured. One shocking image from the clashes this weekend stands out. It shows a woman wearing an Islamic robe being dragged semi-clothed and unconscious by soldiers. The video footage shows her being beaten too. New York based journalist, Mona Eltahawy, was recently attacked while covering the unrest in Egypt. She says the image proves that violence against women by officials there is widespread.

Mona Eltahawy: What we see from that image is a clear and systematic use of sexual violence by the armed forces in Egypt that is perfectly in line with the systematic use of sexual violence that goes all the way back to the Mubarak regime. In 2005 the Mubarak regime began using this sexual violence against women. In March the military used it when it conducted the so-called virginity tests against women. I myself experienced it in Egypt last month. And that image clearly shows that they can’t deny that the use of sexual violence against women.

Werman: What happened in your case? Can you tell us about that?

Eltahawy: Well, in my case, this was in November. I was on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, which is one of the side streets off Tahrir Square that had become a site of confrontation between protestors, police and the military. And I was beaten by riot police. My left arm was broken and my right hand was broken. I was sexually assaulted by those same riot police, and then I was detained for 12 hours, 6 by the police and 6 by the military, and I was blindfolded during some of the interrogation during the interrogation.

Werman: I’m curious you know, how widespread this is because the image of this woman who we were speaking about earlier was on the front page of one of Egypt’s newspapers under the headline Liars, because the military said protestors wouldn’t be harmed. But now we’re hearing your story and you’ve campaigned about the use of sexual violence in Egypt and these protests. How wide is it?

Eltahawy: It is extremely widespread. It’s very disturbing how widespread it’s become because since the Mubarak regime began to use this system of sexual violence against female protestors and journalists in 2005, what it has essentially done is it has given a green light. It says that women are fair game because if the state can do it then anyone can do it. And if the state can do it then when I’m then sexually assaulted by an Egyptian civilian, how then can I expect the state to defend me or to hold that civilian accountable if the state itself has violated and abused my body? And when the state, whether it’s the military or the regime under Mubarak, can drag a woman through the streets of Cairo, strip her down to her bra and kick and violate her in that way, it clearly says that your body belongs to me. And our revolution is to clearly separate the two. My body is mine. My mind is mine and this is part of the campaign. We’re fighting many, many campaigns here. But unless we fight that personal revolution that separates my body from the state, our political revolution will not succeed.

Werman: Well, Mona, the state right now in Egypt is an interim military state. Is the military part of the problem rather than the solution?

Eltahawy: The military is completely the problem. The military is front and central the problem, and it’s time to talk about holding the military responsible. Field Marshal Tantawi must stand trial for crimes against humanity. The soldiers who are beating and violating people, including that woman, and others — they have killed children, they have killed unarmed civilians — why are they arresting 9-year-old children over the past four days in Egypt? These are not terrorists, these are children. We must hold the military accountable. They must stand trial for crimes against humanity. And the police must also stand trial. We haven’t seen one single security person stand trial for the martyrs that were killed during the revolution. So the military is front and central the problem and we need civilian leadership in Egypt sooner than later.

Werman: Mona, do you see any encouraging signs that Egypt can ultimately be a safe place for women?

Eltahawy: I definitely do because I’m seeing so many young Egyptian women and men, and it gives me great comfort to see the men take part in this, organizing protests and marches in Egypt against sexual violence. They’re organizing protests from Al-Azhar, which is the main seat of Sunni Muslim learning, to Tahrir Square on Friday to say very clearly to Field Marshal Tantawi who’s head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, that you will not undress my sisters and I will not be silent as you do that. So I think together there is a sense in Egypt of men and women coming together to fight this because this is a very special turning point in Egyptian history.

Werman: Journalist Mona Eltahawy, thank you very much for joining us.

Eltahawy: Thanks for having me.

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