Virginity test allegations re-emerge in Egypt's 'climate of fear'

[okaawhatever]

(CNN) -- The apparent resumption of forced "virginity tests" by security forces in Egypt has dashed activists' hopes for democratic reforms and fueled fears of a return to police brutality and abuse reminiscent of the Hosni Mubarak-era.
Four women arrested in recent months for taking part in anti-military protests have said they were subjected to virginity tests by the police whilst in custody.

First-hand accounts of their traumatic experience -- published by the social news website BuzzFeed last week -- prompted an outcry from local and international rights groups angered by what some groups have described as "atrocious crimes" committed by the state since the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsy in July.

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In December 2011, activists had celebrated after the Cairo Administrative Court ordered an end to the shameful procedure, declaring it illegal in Egypt.

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"We performed the tests to prove that the girls were not virgins so that they would not accuse the army of rape later on," a high-ranking general told me in a telephone interview on May 30, 2011. It was the first admission from a military general that the tests had been performed, reversing earlier denials by the army that they had happened.
However, in March 2012, a military court acquitted the military doctor charged with performing virginity tests, on grounds of "conflicting testimony." His acquittal was seen by rights activists as a blow for any hopes of accountability for the abuses women had suffered at the hands of the military.

Continued at Link:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/21/world/meast/egypt-virginity-testing-shahira-amin/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

[El_Johns]

1. Arab spring = short life