US Journalist: Egypt Police Sexually Assaulted Me

An Egyptian-American journalist says police in Cairo sexually assaulted her after arresting her during protests. Mona Eltahawy’s left arm and right hand were broken and police “groped every part of my body and called me names, called me a whore,” she tells MSNBC. She was questioned for hours by military intelligence officials after recording protests on her camera phone.

“Five 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,” she tweeted today, according to Jezebel. A prominent columnist, activist, and speaker, Eltahawy said that when officials “realized I had dual citizenship, they were aware they had to be more careful," she noted. "Eventually they apologized for the police behavior and sent me home in a taxi." Another American journalist, Jehane Nojaim, also was arrested during protests. She is best-known for her documentary Control Room about Al Jazeera. Click for more on her. (More Mona Eltahawy stories.)