(Cairo, March, 16, 2013) On the Egyptian Women’s Day March 16, 2013; an Egyptian female activist was slapped violently which led to hitting on the ground by one of irregulars’ militia belong to the Muslim Brotherhood. The female activist was one of a big number of activists who tried to express peacefully on their opinions regarding the abuses and violation that were committed against women and human rights by using the expressive drawings “graphite drawings” in front of the Guidance Office of Muslim Brotherhood. In addition to, many of journalists and media workers were assaulted and their cameras were broken while they were performing their mission in covering the event.
ECWR condemns this brutal attack and considers it as continuation of the systematic violence against women in general and the male and female activists and media professionals in particular. These practices reached to targeting women’s bodies in the revolutions’ squares in a systematic way and that considers as “Crimes against Humanity”
That is a completion of the anti attitude to women from the Muslim Brotherhood and the regime of the President Mohamed Morsi, which was expressed through a statement was issued by Muslim Brotherhood that condemns and gives the lie to the efforts of the 57 session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that discussed stopping the Violence against Women and incites against its work. This statement also contrasted with all the statements which were declared by Dr. Bakinam El- Sharkawy, Assistant to the President for Political Affairs, in the CSW on its 57th session regarding to the efforts of Egypt to enact a law to criminalize violence against women and develop a strategic action to reduce violence against women. Also, That gives the lie to the statements of Dr. Essam el-Haddad, the President’s Assistant for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, in front of the European Union on respect for women and estimate their position.
Therefore, ECWR demands:
- Forming an impartiality and integrity judicial committee in order to investigate these systematic crimes against women and activists in Egypt.
- Arresting quickly of those who involved in the attack on women and female activists where these crimes are documented by photos and audio recordings.
- Confronting by the Ministry of Interior to the Muslim Brotherhood militia or other groups are trying to impose its criminal influence in organized groups.
