(AFP FILE PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI)
By Federica Ibrahim
Nazra for Feminist Studies denounced in an online statement Sunday the physical assaults on female human rights activists, including Nahid Sherif and Fikreya Mohamed, experienced.
The group called on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable.
Nazra also demanded their “immediate and unconditional” release , along with other detainees charged with violating the Protest Law.
The two activists, Sherif and Mohamed, were allegedly subjected to physical assault during their arrest.
They were also among six other activists arrested on 21 June as they were protesting against the Protest Law.
Sherif confirmed, during a family visit, that she was assaulted by police officers during her arrest and the prosecution’s investigation, according Nazra’s online statement on 12 July.
Sherif suffered several injuries on her face, including a horizontal scar on her mid-nose. She also confirmed that Mohamed was assaulted on the same day of the protest. Mohamed was dragged off a public bus and beaten by civilians before they handed her over to the police.
Violence against detainees and activists is not a new phenomenon. On 23 June, 12 civil society and human rights organisations including Nazra condemned, in a joint statement, the latest torture allegations of female political prisoners in Qanater Women’s Prison.
