Ahmed Adel: “virginity test” doctor acquitted in Egypt
Egyptian military doctor Ahmed Adel, who was charged in the case of forced “virginity tests” on female protesters last year, talks to the media following his appearance in a military court on March 11, 2012, in Cairo. The Egyptian military court acquitted the doctor accused of conducting the tests in a case that had sparked a national outcry.
A military court in Egypt has acquitted army doctor Ahmed Adel, who was accused of carrying out forced "virginity tests" on female protesters after last year's uprising in Tahrir Square, according to BBC News.
Adel was cleared because the judge in charge of the case said he found contradictions in witness statements.
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Samira Ibrahim, one of several women subjected to examinations to determine whether or not they were virgins after being detained for protesting in Tahrir Square, won a civilian court ruling last year that confirmed the tests were taking place at military jails and they were ordered stopped, reported The Washington Post.
However, military prosecutors investigating Ibrahim's accusations only brought Adel to trial. The court has denied the tests were carried out and its decision to acquit cannot be appealed.
Ibrahim, a 25-year-old marketing manager, said she faced death threats after bringing the case forward, according to CNN. She said Sunday's ruling devastated her.
"This is rape, and I fainted when I heard the verdict in court," she said to CNN. "God knows the truth, and it will always be a black spot in Egypt's history."
Adel was charged with "public indecency" and "disobeying military orders," after the initial charge of rape had been dropped, reported Al Jazeera. The ruling came "from what has been proven in documents and based on my conscience," the judge said. He also added that he had "not been subjected to any pressures."
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Adel, who spoke for the first time, said, "I've been vilified by the media, only one side was represented and I couldn't say anything because I was a conscript," according to Al Jazeera.
Last Friday, rallies marked a year since protesters were assaulted, with calls from activists that the revolution was incomplete.
Here is a clip of Adel speaking after his acquittal, as well as Ibrahim's account from earlier this year, courtesy of Al Jazeera.
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