CAIRO: Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered Monday that 13 teenage boys arrested over the weekend and accused of harassing two women tourists at the Giza Pyramids near Cairo remain in custody pending an investigation.
The arrests came after a video surfaced on social media showing a crowd of boys swarming around two young women at the famous archaeological site, one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions.
The boys are seen jeering at the women and some press close to them as they try to get away. One woman turns and tries to push a boy away. It is unclear from the footage whether any of the boys groped the women. A voice is heard saying the video should be sent to the minister of tourism.
A tour guide who filmed the incident with his smartphone has accused the teens of “verbally and physically” harassing the women, charges they deny, the office of the chief prosecutor said.
The video has drawn outrage on social media in this Muslim majority country where sexual harassment as well as sexual misconduct, mostly ranging from catcalls to occasional pinching or grabbing in public, is rampant.
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, the arrested boys are between 13 and 15 years old. The statement did not provide any details on the women tourists.
If charged, the boys will be tried before a juvenile court.
Visitors to the Pyramids at Giza and other famous archaeological sites in Egypt are routinely harassed and followed by young men aggressively offering tours, souvenirs, carriage or camel rides.
The problem of sexual harassment in Egypt gained worldwide attention during and after the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, when women were harassed, groped — and in some cases, beaten and sexually assaulted — during mass anti-government protests.
In recent years, women inspired by the #MeToo movement have spoken out on social media about the problem. Authorities have increased penalties for sexual harassment, which is now punishable with up to five years in prison. They have also intensified efforts to combat harassment and aggressive touts at tourist sites.
Egypt arrests 13 teenage boys for harassing women tourists
https://arab.news/55b2u
Egypt arrests 13 teenage boys for harassing women tourists
- A tour guide who filmed the incident with his smartphone has accused the teens of “verbally and physically” harassing the women
Egypt urges support for Lebanese army as Hezbollah disarmed
- Abdelatty praised “the success of the Lebanese army in completing the first phase of the plan“
- “This achievement reflects the efficiency of the military institution and requires intensifying international support to complete the remaining phases of the plan”
CAIRO: Egypt on Tuesday urged the international community to better support Lebanon’s armed forces as the country moves forward with a plan to disarm the militant group Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control.
Speaking at a preparatory meeting in Cairo ahead of next month’s Paris conference in support of the Lebanese army, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty praised “the success of the Lebanese army in completing the first phase of the plan.”
“This achievement reflects the efficiency of the military institution and requires intensifying international support to complete the remaining phases of the plan,” Abdelatty said.
Lebanon’s government last year committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in a recent war with Israel, and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to do so.
Lebanon has since received promises of support, amid a shortage of equipment, personnel and technical capabilities needed to carry out the army’s mission.
Though its capabilities are limited, the military has worked to dismantle Hezbollah facilities and tunnels and confiscate weapons in the last few months.
It declared in January the completion of the first phase of its plan, which tackled the area south of the Litani river, located around 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Israel.
Lebanon’s military now intends to tackle the area north of the river as the second phase of its plan, having said last week that it would need at least four months to finish the job.
Abdelatty said Tuesday’s meeting aimed “to enable the Lebanese state to ensure that all weapons are held exclusively by the state.”
The meeting brought together Lebanon’s top security chiefs, including Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and Internal Security Forces Director-General Major General Raed Abdallah.
They were joined by representatives of the Quintet Committee on Lebanon, among them Qatar’s state minister for foreign affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and Saudi Arabia’s envoy to Beirut Prince Yazid bin Farhan, along with senior officials from the United States.
At a separate meeting with Le Drian, Abdelatty stressed the need for what he described as a comprehensive international approach to the crisis in Lebanon.
“There is no path to restoring stability except by obliging Israel to immediately halt its aggression” and “fully withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories,” he said.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, and has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with the group.
