The Egyptian prosecution on Monday ordered the arrest of a group of young men accused of gang rape of a young woman in a large hotel in Cairo. According to a brief statement, "the public prosecutor ordered the arrest of those who committed an act of misconduct against a woman at the Fairmont hotel in 2014", adding that the suspects had been placed on the lists travel ban from airports.
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The alleged assault had gone under the radar, until allegations surfaced on social networks last July, including the Assault Police account ("Police harassment"). According to this account, a group of nearly six men drugged and raped the young woman in the five-star hotel. The names and photos of the defendants, from wealthy families, have been circulated widely online, but AFP has not been able to verify their authenticity.
The Egyptian prosecution had announced in early August the opening of an investigation into these allegations of rape, indicating to have "received a letter from the National Council of Women, accompanied by a complaint" lodged by a woman "having suffered sexual assault from the share of several people at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo in 2014 ”. The press release also mentioned "testimonies from people with knowledge" of this case. The hotel declared for its part to have carried out an internal investigation, but indicated that it had never been made report of this incident near the hotel or the tourist police force.
A 2013 study by UN Women found that 99% of Egyptian women had been sexually, verbally or physically harassed at some point in their lives.