Thousands of Egyptian protesters begin to gather in Tahrir Square as the deadline given by the military to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi approaches on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. The president gave a defiant speech last night and vowed to stay in power despite the military threats. As unrest spreads throughout the country, at least 23 people were killed in Cairo on Tuesday and over 200 others were injured. It has been reported that the military has taken over state television.
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Another reason the massive Egyptian protests of the past few days are giving off a feeling of déjà vu: Sexual assault in Tahrir Sqaure, the center of the unrest, is rampant. According to Human Rights Watch, “mobs sexually assaulted and in some cases raped at least 91 women in Tahrir Square” over just the past four days. A 22-year-old Dutch journalist was reportedly gang-raped by five men and needed surgery.
