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Egyptian doctor sentenced to prison after 13-year-old dies from female genital mutilation

January 26, 2015
Sohair al-Bata’a, the 13-year-old girl who died after undergoing FGM

An Egyptian court has imprisoned the first doctor ever brought to trial in Egypt on female genital mutilation charges that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Sohair al-Bata’a. The doctor was sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour for manslaughter and three months for performing the banned practice. The doctor also received a fine of EGP 500 ($US 68). The father was also sentenced to three months in prison for FGM, but his sentence is suspended for three years. The doctor and Sohair’s father had been both referred to trial after Sohair died in June 2013 at Raslan Halawa’s private medical clinic while undergoing an FGM at her father’s request. During the investigation into the death, the father retracted from his initial police report accusing Halawa, instead claiming his daughter was suffering from pelvic pain and was diagnosed of having ‘excess’ skin which had to be removed by a doctor. Halawa meanwhile had denied carrying out the female genital mutilation and said that he had performed an ‘operation’ to remove ‘excess skin’ which had to be done by cauterization. Halawa insisted Sohair died as a result of an allergic…


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