The case was brought by Samira Ibrahim, who claimed that the so-called tests were performed by Dr Ahmed Adel on women who had been detained during the ‘Arab Spring’ protests last year.

Public outrage

According to BBC Middle East, the practice triggered public outrage after Ms Ibrahim and other women spoke out about their treatment during their detention, which occurred after they were arrested for protesting in Tahir Square in March 2011 – weeks after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
They claimed they had been forced to undergo a five-minute examination administered by a male doctor – a statement that was initially strongly denied by the army.

Contradicting statements

However, Amnesty International has since reported that a senior general has admitted that the tests were carried out.
Ahead of the case, Ms Ibrahim claimed that witnesses changed their stories at the last minute, leaving the judge no option but to acquit Dr Adel because of contradicting statements.
Writing her on Twitter, Ms Ibrahim vowed to carry on until she had ‘restored Egypt’s rights’.