Details
The day before, Tunisia toppled the regime of its dictator, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. The success of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution sparked a wave of uprisings against corruption and economic inequality in the region, marking the beginning of the Arab Spring and in Egypt.
In an attempt to suppress the revolution, Hosni's regime intensified its repression. Near the protesters' camp in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the military equipped torture chambers and "medical rooms", where they conducted gynecological "checks for innocence" – sexual violence against protesters.
Context
In 2011, Egyptians took to the streets against the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak's repressive regime, demanding “bread, freedom and social justice.” Under Mubarak, the country lived under a state of emergency (de facto martial law): independent media and political competition were suppressed, opposition figures were often imprisoned and tortured, and police brutality was the norm.
The country's economy was weak, dependent on foreign aid and loans from the IMF and the World Bank. GDP per capita was formally growing, but almost a quarter of the 80 million population in 2011 lived in poverty.
What's next
Propaganda then claimed that, allegedly, all women participating in the protests were prostitutes, and "checks for innocence" supposedly had to confirm this thesis. Society did not believe it as expected, and then the authorities tried to retreat. A new thesis has appeared: checks are carried out only to confirm that the detainees have not been subjected to sexual violence by the military or police.