Egypt’s Military Council Apologizes to Women Following Violence
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Stockbyte/Thinkstock(TEL AVIV, Israel) — A few days after video of a woman being stripped and beaten by the government military in Egypt hit the Internet, women took to the streets in protest, and now, the ruling military council has issued an apology.
On Tuesday, thousands of Egyptian women turned out in Cairo — in what could possibly be the largest women’s protest ever in the country — to rally against the military’s treatment of women during recent violence. The demonstration came on the heels of several days of intense and bloody clashes.
One image of the violent crackdown has highlighted the brutality and has drawn global condemnation — that of a veiled Muslim woman stripped bare as a soldier stomped on her chest.
In a rare move, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued a statement Wednesday, saying: “The Supreme Council express its great regret to the great women of Egypt for the violations that took place during the recent events, in the demonstrations that took place at the parliament and the ministers’ council, and reassure its respect and appreciation for Egyptian women and their right in protesting and their active positive participation in the political life.”
The ruling military council added that, “all legal measures have been taken to hold accountable all those responsible for these violations.”
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