France 24 TV: Cairo reporter 'savagely attacked'

A correspondent for France 24 TV was ``savagely attacked'' near Cairo's Tahrir Square after being seized by a crowd, the network said Saturday. It was the latest case of violence against women at the epicenter of Egypt's restive protests.

The news channel said in a statement that Sonia Dridi was attacked around 10:30 p.m. Friday after a live broadcast on a protest at the square and was later rescued by a colleague and other witnesses. France 24 did not give further details about the attack, but it said its employees were safe and sound, though ``extremely shocked,'' and that it will file suit against unspecified assailants.

The network, which receives state funds but has editorial independence, said it and the French Embassy were working to bring Dridi back to France.

``More frightened than hurt,'' wrote Dridi in French on her Twitter page Saturday. Referring in English to a colleague, she tweeted: ``Thanks to (at)ashrafkhalil for protecting me in (hash)Tahrir last nite. Mob was pretty intense. thanks to him I escaped from the unleashed hands.''

Ashraf Khalil, who works with France 24's English language service, said the crowd was closing in on him and Dridi while they were doing live reports on a side street off Tahrir. He said the attack and rescue took about half an hour, but it felt like a lot longer.

``The crowd surged in and then it went crazy. It was basically me keeping her in a bear hug, both arms around her and face-to-face,'' he told The Associated Press, estimating that at least 30 men were involved. ``It was hard to tell who was helping and who was groping her.''

Khalil said they retreated into a fast food restaurant with a metal door, to keep her out of the reach of the attackers. He said they hustled into a car, and some men banged on it as it sped away. Some of their belongings had been stolen, he said.

``It didn't feel organized or targeted. It felt disorganized,'' he said. ``I felt angry. I love Tahrir. I have a lot of nostalgia for Tahrir. I am still angry. I know this is not the first time this happened; it happened to other people I know. Still, it was a shock.''

Tahrir Square was the main hub of a popular uprising that toppled longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last year. Since then, it has seen numerous other protests staged by a range of groups.

At the height of the uprising against Mubarak, Lara Logan, a correspondent for U.S. network CBS, was sexually assaulted and beaten in Tahrir Square. She said later that she believed she was going to die. After being rescued, Logan returned to the United States and was treated in a hospital for four days.

The square has seen a rise in attacks against women since protesters returned this summer for new rallies, including incidents of attackers stripping women _ both fellow demonstrators and journalists _ of their clothes.

No official numbers exist for attacks on women in the square because police do not go near the area and women rarely file official reports on such incidents, but activists and protesters have reported an increase in assaults against women. And although sexual harassment is not new to Egypt, suspicions abound that many of the recent attacks are organized by opponents of various protests in a bid to drive people away. 

Amnesty International said in a report in June that such attacks appeared designed to intimidate women and prevent them from fully participating in public life. The London-based human rights group has called on Egyptian authorities to investigate reports of sexual assault against women to counter the impression that no one will be punished. (AP)

<관련 한글 기사>

여기자, 시위 취재중 ‘무지막지한’ 성추행

이집트 시위 현장에서 여기자가 성폭력을 당하는 사건이 또 발생했다.

프랑스24 TV는 자사 소속 기자인 소니아 드리디가 이집트 카이로 타흐리르 광장 에서 생방송을 진행하던 도중 군중에게 ‘무지막지한’ 성추행을 당했다고 20일(현지시간) 밝혔다.

드리디는 전날 오후 10시30분께 방송 중 주로 젊은 층이었던 군중이 자신을 추행했다고 말했다.

드리디는 동료와 주변에 있던 목격자들의 도움으로 무리 가운데에서 빠져나올 수 있었고 인근 패스트푸드점으로 몸을 피했다고 전했다.

프랑스24 TV는 이 사건에 대해 "매우 충격적"이라고 밝히면서 드리디를 프랑스로 귀국시키기 위해 이집트 주재 프랑스 대사관에 연락을 취했다고 밝혔다.

프랑스24 TV는 또한 성추행을 한 이들을 고소할 예정이라고 덧붙였다.

최근 시위가 자주 일어나는 타흐리르 광장에서는 성추행뿐 아니라 성폭행 등 심각한 성범죄가 급증하고 있으나 당국은 마땅한 조처를 하지 않고 있다고 목격자들은 전했다.

앞서 6월에도 군중집회를 취재하던 영국의 여성 언론인이 군중으로부터 성폭력을 당한 것으로 알려진 바 있으며, 지난해 2월 호스니 무바라크 전 이집트 대통령이 하야하던 당일에도 미국 언론인 라라 로건이 성폭력을 겪었다.