Egyptian court bans military 'virginity tests'

CAIRO (AP) _ An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the country's military rulers to stop the use of “virginity tests” on female detainees, in a rare condemnation by a civilian tribunal of a military practice that has caused an uproar among activists and rights groups.

 

Egyptian court bans military 'virginity tests'

CAIRO (AP) _ An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the country's military rulers to stop the use of “virginity tests” on female detainees, in a rare condemnation by a civilian tribunal of a military practice that has caused an uproar among activists and rights groups.

The virginity test allegations first surfaced after a March 9 rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square that turned violent when men in plainclothes attacked protesters, and the army cleared the square by force. The rights group Human Rights Watch said seven women were subjected to the tests.

The ban came a week after public outrage over scenes of soldiers dragging women protesters by the hair, stomping on them and stripping one half-naked in the street during a fierce crackdown on activists.

“This is a case for all the women of Egypt, not only mine,” said Samira Ibrahim, 25, who was arrested and then spoke out about her treatment.

Ibrahim filed two suits against the practice, one demanding it be banned and another accusing an officer of sexual assault. She was the only one to complain publicly about a practice that can bring shame upon the victim in a conservative society.

A small group of women gathered outside the court building, holding banners. One said, “Women of Egypt are a red line.”

The three-judge panel said in its ruling that the virginity tests were “a violation of women's rights and an aggression against their dignity.”

The ruling also said a member of the ruling military council admitted to Amnesty International in June that the practice was carried out on female detainees in March to protect the army against possible allegations of rape, indicating it was an administrative order and not an individual decision.

Because the military is also acting as a police force, “it is the duty of the armed forces when carrying out these duties to abide by the law and not violate its provisions when dealing with citizens,” the court ruling said.

The ruling “is incredibly important not only because it comes after scenes of sexual assault and battery of women by military troops,” said Heba Morayef, an Egypt researcher with Human Rights Watch. “It is also important because it is the first time a civilian court acknowledged and criticized abuse by the military.”

At first the military denied administering virginity tests. Then last week, the military prosecutor said one army doctor is on trial for abuse. On Tuesday, after the court decision, military prosecutor Adel el-Morsi said the tests are not condoned by the military, calling the abuse “an individual behavior” that is before courts.

Rights groups have said some officers have explained the tests as a way to clear their names of possible charges of abuse by the protesters. Women protesters said they were threatened with prostitution charges before they were subjected to the tests.

Hossam Bahgat, a human rights activist who was involved in the case, said the court ruling restores some justice to the abused women and is a first step toward holding military officials accountable.

“It is also very symbolically important because it is a crack in the wall of impunity the (military rulers) have built around their personnel and their conduct” against protesters and women in particular, he said.

He said the lawyers will try to upgrade the charges against the army doctor to sexual assault instead of the current indecent act.

Ibrahim, who covers her hair in the style of conservative Muslims, told a private TV station Monday that she filed the suits because she wanted to spare others what she went through. Ibrahim said her family, from the conservative southern Egyptian city of Sohag, was supportive of her going public.

“I was devastated,” she told the private ONTV network. “I was hurt, and sad, and didn't expect that from them (soldiers.) The first thing dad said is...only the law will help you.”

<한글 기사>

이집트, 女수감자‘처녀성 검사 중단’명령

이집트 법원은 27일(현지시간) 군 교도소에 수감된 여성 재소자들에 대한 강제적인 처녀성 검사를 중단할 것을 군에 명령했다.

이집트군은 지난 3월 반정부 시위의 중심지였던 카이로 타흐리르 광장에서 시위대를 강제 해산시켰으며, 국제앰네스티는 군이 당시 체포된 여성 7명에 대해 처녀성 검사를 했다고 주장해 논란이 일었다.

재판부는 이날 "처녀성 검사는 여성의 권리와 존엄성을 침해한 것"이라고 밝혔다.

아울러 군 지도부 중 한 명이 지난 6월 CNN 방송과 인터뷰에서 군이 체포 여성 들을 성폭행했다는 오해를 막기 위해 처녀성 검사를 했다고 시인한 사실을 들며 이는 개인적인 결정이 아니라 행정명령이었음을 시사한다고 지적했다.

당시 처녀성 검사를 받은 사미라 이브라힘(25)은 "이번 판결은 나뿐만 아니라 이집트의 모든 여성을 위한 것"이라며 환영의 뜻을 밝혔다.

이브라힘은 처녀성 검사를 금지해줄 것과 성폭력을 행사한 장교를 고소하는 두 가지 소송을 제기한 바 있다.

이에 대해 군 최고 사법 책임자인 아델 모르시 장군은 성명에서 "그런 검사를 하라는 결정이 내려진 적이 없기 때문에 법원 판결은 실행될 수 없다"면서 "그런 검사가 이뤄졌다면 관련된 개인이 처벌받을 것"이라고 말했다.

이에 앞서 군 검찰은 지난주 한 군의관이 '학대' 혐의로 재판을 받고 있다고 밝혔다.

한편, 이번 판결은 지난 16일 타흐리르 광장에서 이집트군이 군 최고위원회의 퇴진을 요구하는 시위대를 해산하는 과정에서 한 여성의 머리채를 잡고 질질 끌고 가는 동영상이 공개되면서 군부에 대한 비판 여론이 확산한 가운데 나온 것이다.

이집트 법원은 25일에는 기독교 시위대와 진압군인의 충돌을 선동한 혐의로 체포된 유명 블로거 알라 압델 파타의 석방을 명령하기도 했다.

이집트 시민단체인 인권정보 아랍 네트워크의 가말 에이드 대표는 "최근 판결들 은 사법부가 독립돼 있음을 보여준다"고 평가했다.