From Al Jazeera:
Egypt's prosecution service has referred 13 men to trial for alleged sex attacks on women at Cairo's Tahrir Square, including during inaugural celebrations for new President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, officials have said.The minor is just 14, according to Spiegel Online, which is also my source for the assertion that this is the first such trial in Egypt. This may also be the occasion for another first. On Friday the president visited one of the victims in hospital and made what may be the first presidential apology to a civilian, promising tough action against her attackers.The attacks took place on January 25, 2013, as Egypt marked the second anniversary of the 2011 revolt, and on June 3 and June 8 this year as locals marked Sisi's election victory and inauguration, the prosecutor general's office said on Saturday.
The 13 accused, including a minor, are charged with "kidnapping, raping, sexually attacking, attempting to murder and torturing the women", it said.
Conviction on the charges could result in life imprisonment.
It’s only recently that Egypt has enacted penalties for sexual harassment: six months to five years in prison, or a fine of up to 5000 Egyptian pounds (a little over US$700), or both. (It’s not clear just how significant that maximum fine is: useful income data are hard to come by. My impression is that it’s several months’ median income, but less than a year’s.) These penalties may be partly in response to the fact that sexual harassment in Egypt has worsened since the Egyptian revolution in 2011: during rallies at Tahrir Square women are frequently attacked by groups of men. A video of such an attack, apparently made on a cell phone, went viral last week, prompting a demonstration by hundreds of women yesterday (Saturday) in Cairo. However, the country still has a long way to go: according to the prosecution service, police are searching for the person who recorded the video, because that action is against ‘public morals’.