Egypt: Landmark verdict hands 10 rapists death penalty

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Egypt: Landmark verdict hands 10 rapists death penalty
Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:54PM
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Landmark verdict hands 10 rapists death penalty

By Safaa Abdoun
First Published: January 12, 2009

CAIRO: In a landmark criminal court verdict, 10 men from the governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh received the death sentence after they were convicted of kidnapping and gang raping a woman.

The court also sentenced a minor to 10 years in prison for participating in the crime.

The crime was committed two years ago when the 11 perpetrators spotted the victim standing in the balcony of her apartment. They went up, dragged her down the stairs, forced her into a microbus and took her to an uninhabited open field where they took turns to rape her for three hours.

Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour, member of the Islamic Research Center and former deputy of Al-Azhar, supports the verdict, saying it complies with Sharia. “The verdict is legitimate in Islam, we hope that it sets an example for everyone,” he said.

Women’s rights activist and member of the National Council for Women Aziza Youssef also lauded the sentence. “I believe that Egyptian law is very fair,” she said, “They should be executed in a public square to stop others from committing such a crime.”

Youssef emphasizes that neither social nor psychological factors justify rape. “Drugs and unemployment are not an excuse. If they can’t find jobs, they should look for them. We’re not in a jungle,” she said.

Madiha El-Safty, sociology professor at the American University in Cairo, echoed the same sentiments. But although she hopes that the verdict would decrease the rate of rape and sexual harassment in Egypt, she remains skeptical.

“It’s the first time a group of rapists all receive the maximum penalty,” she said, “but they deserve it.”

http://dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=19037