Three Egyptian Men Referred to Criminal Trial for North Coast Rape

Archive photograph of a police officer outside a courthouse. Photo credit: AP

The Egyptian Public Prosecution announced on Monday afternoon that three men have been referred to criminal trial for the rape of a young woman along Egypt’s North Coast.

In a statement, the Egyptian Public Prosecution said that Amir Zayed, Youssef Korra and Sherif El Komy had been referred to criminal trial for a crime that occurred in a tourist compound along Egypt’s North Coast in 2015.

“The Public Prosecution collected the evidence from the victim and six other eyewitnesses, along with evidence of a visual recording of a [part] of the incident showing two of the accused sexually abusing the victim,” said the Public Prosecution in its statement, adding that further evidence was discovered during investigations into the the gang rape of a young woman at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in 2014, now widely known as the ‘Fairmont Incident’ and the ‘Fairmont Crime’ (جريمة الفيرمونت).

The three men were among others exposed on social media in July 2020 in relation to the Fairmont Crime. Zayed, one of the three defendants in the North Coast rape trial, was arrested on 27 August 2020 while attempting to flee Egypt.

What are the Fairmont Crime and the North Coast Rape Cases?

The Fairmont Crime involved the drugging and gang rape of a young woman at a private after party at the five-star Fairmont Nile City hotel. The rape was captured on video and allegedly shared by the suspected rapists and their acquaintances.

The alleged gang rape of the young woman had remained unspoken about for years, only to come to light publicly after the landmark Ahmed Bassam Zaki case, which saw the alleged serial rapist and harasser arrested after being accused of rape and sexual abuse by dozens of women.

According to sources, many acquaintances of the alleged rapists were reportedly aware of sexual crimes committed by the accused gang rapists, but remained silent – some out of fear and others out of solidarity.

Speaking to Egyptian Streets, a number of sources confirmed the presence of a number of the alleged rapists at the scene of the alleged crime on 21 February 2014.

An investigative report by Egyptian Streets published on Tuesday 5 August revealed that the victim was drugged, repeatedly raped and degraded by a number of men.

Egyptian Streets also received information that evidence had been received by lawyers in relation to at least one other alleged related rape carried out by some of the men allegedly involved in the Fairmont crime and that, as of Tuesday 4 August 2020, official legal complaints have been filed. In April 2021, the Egyptian Public Prosecution revealed that this occurred along the North Coast in 2015 and that the perpetrators allegedly involved were Amir Zayed, Youssef Korra and Sherif El Komy.

Egyptian Streets’ full report, including information about the evidence that has come to light and details of the various sexual crimes, is available by clicking here.