Keen interest in Cairo sex-crimes case

A former Cairo university student appeared in court on Saturday charged with blackmail and indecent assault of at least three women in a case that has opened up a rare public debate on sex crimes. Ahmed Zaki, who attended the American University in Cairo, appeared in a closed session where the matter was adjourned to 7 November. In September, Zaki was charged with ‘sexually assaulting three girls under the age of 18’. A report on the News24 site notes that he could receive a death sentence if he is convicted of rape. The case has attracted widespread attention from media, religious figures and women's groups in a country where rights defenders say sexual harassment or abuse often goes unpunished. ‘Zaki's case has been shocking as it put into debate a deeply-rooted tradition of accusing the victim (and) not the harasser and justifying his actions,’ said lawyer Reda Eldanbouki, executive director of the Women's Centre for Guidance and Legal Awareness.

Full Fin24 report