Egypt begins trial of ex-student in case fueling #MeToo wave
Egypt has begun the trial of a former student of an elite university on charges of sexual assault of three minors, in a case that has launched a new of the #MeToo movement in the Arab world’s most populous country
10 October 2020, 21:34
2 min read
The Associated Press
In this June 14, 2014 file photo, Egyptian women shout slogans and hold banners during a protes...Read More
CAIRO -- Egypt on Saturday began the trial of a former student of an elite university on charges of sexual assault of three minors, in a case that has launched a new wave of the #MeToo movement in the Arab world’s most populous country.
The former student at the American University in Cairo was arrested in July after the allegations against him went viral, resulting in a firestorm on social media. The #MeToo movement aims to hold accountable those involved in sexual misconduct and those who cover it up.
The trial opened amid tight security at a criminal court in the New Cairo district. The suspect could face up to life in prison if convicted.
The defendant attended the first closed-door procedural session, in which prosecutors read the charges against the former student and defense lawyers submitted their demands to the court. The trial was adjourned till November 7.
The former student faces charges of blackmailing and sexually harassing the women, who were minors at the time the alleged crimes took place.
According to accusations posted on social media, the former student would mine the pool of mutual friends on Facebook, online groups or school clubs, to target for sexual assault.
He would start with flattery, then pressure the women and girls to share intimate photos that he later used to blackmail them with to have sex with him, according to these accusations. If they did not, he would threaten to send the pictures to their family.
The former student hails from a wealthy family and studied at the American International School, one of Egypt’s most expensive private high schools, and the American University in Cairo. University officials said he left the school in 2018.
His case, activists say, shows that misogyny cuts across the country’s stark class lines. Many in Egypt have previously portrayed sexual harassment as a problem of poor urban youth.
Sexual assault and harassment are deep-seated problems in Egypt, where victims must also fight the undercurrent of a conservative culture that typically ties female chastity to a family’s reputation. In courts, the burden of proof lies heavily on the victims of such crimes.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen says she hopes for less tensions with China and in the region if Beijing will listen to Taipei’s concerns, alter its approach and restart dialogue with the self-ruled island democracy
10 October 2020, 21:44
4 min read
The Associated Press
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of...Read More
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday she has hopes for less tensions with China and in the region if Beijing will listen to Taipei’s concerns, alter its approach and restart dialogue with the self-ruled island democracy.
Speaking at Taiwan’s National Day celebrations on Saturday, Tsai took note of recent remarks by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in a video message to the U.N. General Assembly that China would never seek hegemony, expansion or to establish a sphere of influence.
“As countries in the region and around the world are now concerned about China’s expanding hegemony, we hope this is the beginning of genuine change," Tsai said in her annual address at the Presidential Office in downtown Taipei.
If Beijing can “heed Taiwan’s voice, change the way it handles cross-strait relations, and jointly facilitate cross-strait reconciliation and peaceful dialogue, I believe that regional tension can surely be resolved," Tsai said.
China's ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing island as Chinese territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing cut contacts with Tsai's government following her election to a first term in 2016 and has steadily increased diplomatic, military and economic pressure on the island of 23 million people to compel her to endorse its contention that Taiwan and the mainland constitute a single Chinese nation, which it refers to as the “1992 Consensus."
In Beijing, a spokesperson for the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office responded to Tsai's address by renewing China's demand for concessions and accusing her of “disrupting the exchanges and cooperation" between the sides, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Zhu Fenglian also accused Tsai of “deliberately misleading the people of Taiwan" and “warning the Taiwan authorities to adhere to the 1992 Consensus."
Tsai, of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was reelected by a wide margin this spring, and especially since September, China has been sending warplanes and ships into areas under Taiwanese control, prompting the island's air force to scramble its jets at a faster tempo than before.
“For some time now, harassment by air and sea from the other side has raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Tsai said, adding that Taiwan would neither show weakness nor “act rashly."
”We are committed to upholding cross-strait stability, but this is not something Taiwan can shoulder alone; it is the joint responsibility of both sides," she said. “As long as the Beijing authorities are willing to resolve antagonisms and improve cross-strait relations, while parity and dignity are maintained, we are willing to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue."
She said such an approach was built on a cross-party consensus, a nod to the main opposition Nationalist Party, which although formally advocating unification with China has been downplaying that stance in a bid to stem electoral losses.
China's campaign of isolation has seen Taiwan excluded from international gatherings and reduced its number of diplomatic allies to just 15, even while it enjoys strong informal support from the U.S., Japan and other major democracies.
Tsai also praised Taiwan's success in containing the coronavirus outbreak and outlined steps taken to boost its high-tech economy and the military.
Her speech was bookended by displays of troops and civilian defense forces, as well as bands and dance performances in front of invited guests and members of the public in front of the presidential building that dates from Taiwan's time as a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945.
Following World War II, Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China run by Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists, who moved to the island in 1949 ahead of the Communist takeover of the mainland.
Oct. 10 National Day dates from the start of a 1911 rebellion against the Qing, China's last empire, that led to the establishment of the Republic of China, which remains Taiwan's formal name.
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