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Must-read story of Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy tweeting her own arrest, beating and sexual assaultstorify.com/shivmalik1/jou…
Last night the award winning global journalist was detained and sexually assaulted after covering violence around Cairo's Tahrir Square. This morning she was released. Here is how the story unfolded on twitter.
- Wednesday was a pretty violent day throughout cities in Egypt especially at the heart of the current protests Tahrir Square as this Guardian footage captured.
- One journalist who was covering Cairo was the award winning columnist Mona Eltahawy. As the violence increased she tweeted that a relative of hers had been killed.
- “Oh my God. Just found out from my brother that we know someone who died in #Tahrir. A 37-yr old father of two. Rest in peace.
- She was then outside of then American University of Cairo - where she once graduated from - when tear gas engulfed the area
- “Across street from AUC gate I used to enter every day Mohamed Mansour.Can't believe it. A cacophony sirens, horns, flashing ambulance lights
- “Pitch black, only flashing ambulance lights and air thick with gas Mohamed Mahmoud #Tahrir
- Last night the Guardian reported allegations that more potent types of crowd control gas were being used on protesters
- It was not long after that Eltahawy was reported as missing. Somehow from prison she managed to tweet this.
- And then retweet this:
- The fact that different platforms had been used for these last series of tweets led some including Mona's sister to think her account may have been hacked.
- Others sent messages of concern and support. There were fears that other journalists had also been arrested and the hashtag #freemona soon began trending worldwide.
- “Devastated to hear that @monaeltahawy has been beaten and detained in Egypt. An incredible journalist and feminist. #freemona Plz Retweet!
- “Mona's sister MT @litfreak: It's bringing tears to my eyes that #freemona trended so quickly.it will make @monaeltahawy cry too.
- The US State Department also got involved.
- Then just as the Guardian published our first story about her disappearance, this appeared on Eltahawy's feed:
- In a series of tweets Eltahawy told her horrifying story:
- “12 hours with Interior Ministry bastards and military intelligence combined. Can barely type - must go xray arms after CSF pigs beat me.
- “Thank God a political activist in MOI with me lent me his phone to tweet. Right after my tweet his battery died
- “5 or 6 surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers.
- “.@Sarahngb is coming to kindly take me to the hospital. Besides beating me, the dogs of CSF subjected me to the worst sexual assault ever
- “Didn't want to go with military intelligence but one MP said either come politely or not. Those guys didn't beat or assault me.
- “Instead, blindfolded me for 2 hrs, after keeping me waiting for 3. At 1st answered Qs bec passport wasn't w me but then refused as civilian
- “The past 12 hrs were painful and surreal but I know I got off much much easier than so many other Egyptians.
- Then with true journalist grit she wrote:
- “The whole time I was thinking about article I would write; just you fuckers wait.
- Support came flooding in again.
- “Appalling. RT “@monaeltahawy "- Besides beating me, the dogs of CSF subjected me to the worst sexual assault ever”"
- “@monaeltahawy so sad for what happened to u. Thank god you're out that torture camp.
- Then as she was taken to the hospital this final tweet and pic:
