Prosecutors in Cairo have released a Somali teenager held on murder charges after police and medical exams revealed the plausibility of her claim of self-defence against a rape attempt by a slain tuk-tuk driver.
Egyptian prosecutors said they received on the 17th of May that the body of a deceased tuk-tuk driver had been discovered on a street on the outskirts of Giza’s the 6th of October city, a suburb 32km outside of Cairo.
According to local news outlets, a 15-year-old Somali refugee took a minibus home from Egypt’s 6th of October city’s 11th district but noticed no other passengers on board. The driver drove her to a deserted spot where he molested her while holding a knife to her neck.
A 15-year-old Somali refugee handed herself in at a local police station with her lawyer and told officers a harrowing tale that involved her being driven to an abandoned location and attempting to rape her with a knife. She fought back – and suffered defensive injuries to her hands – before stabbing the driver and escaping.
Prosecutors said that her version of the events is consistent with the evidence they have received., including the medical autopsy performed on the deceased driver.
The case has garnered widespread attention in the Middle East and Somali news and social media, with many groups voicing their support for the girl. Women’s rights groups in Egypt have called on authorities to crack down on sexual assault in the public transport system.
