Audio By Carbonatix
A military court in Egypt has acquitted an army doctor accused of carrying out forced "virginity tests" on women protesters, state media reports.
Ahmed Adel was cleared because the judge found contradictions in witness statements, Mena news agency said.
The case was brought by one of the women, Samira Ibrahim, who said the "tests" took place after they had been detained during protests last year.
Demonstrators are gathering to protest the ruling, the BBC's Jon Leyne says.
The practice drew an outcry after Ms Ibrahim and other women spoke out about their treatment following their arrest during a protest in Tahrir Square in March 2011 - weeks after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
They said they were forced by the Egyptian army, while in detention, to submit to a five-minute-long so-called virginity test by a male doctor.
The army initially denied such tests had taken place, but a senior general, speaking anonymously, later admitted that they had happened.
Ms Ibrahim launched a legal challenge to prevent such tests happening again, and Cairo's administrative court eventually ruled that the tests were illegal.
But she said, before the trial of Ahmed Adel, that witnesses she hoped would speak in her defence had changed their story at the last minute, our correspondent reports from Cairo.
According to Mena, the judge said he made the ruling "from what has been proven in documents and based on my conscience," adding that he had "not been subjected to any pressures".
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Pan-African Progressive Front hosts landmark online conference ahead of Geneva Forum
2 minutes -
Civil society is not an adversary of gov’t, but partners in nation-building – Mahama
10 minutes -
Defeamekpor calls for interdiction of Land Ministry’s director of finance
14 minutes -
Atebubu Paramount Chief visits NPA boss to strengthen ties
14 minutes -
TGMA Group of the Year nominees to be announced this week – Robert Klah
19 minutes -
Ex-Effia MP writes: Big Push for infrastructure, Small Push for people
20 minutes -
Interior Minister demands probe into GH¢3m payments made outside GIFMIS
22 minutes -
Ex-Defence Ministry procurement director to face prosecution over GH¢4.8m scandal
38 minutes -
Gov’t committed to finishing Tema Motorway by 2027, says Agbodza
45 minutes -
OSP under threat from political interference — Kissi Agyebeng calls for constitutional protection
49 minutes -
T.I. Ahmadiyya SHS, Kumasi, celebrates 75 years of excellence
57 minutes -
Court orders SHS students to pay compensation for assault on teacher
59 minutes -
Mahama assents to 5 bills, including key amendments on security, education and finance
1 hour -
Students of Nkwantanang M.A 6 Basic School benefit from ‘Break the Silence’ Menstrual Awareness Initiative
1 hour -
Fuel price hike exposing NDCs’ deceitful politics—Mercer
1 hour
