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French journalist sexually assaulted in Egyptian capital

25 November 2011 02:18 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Caroline Sinz, a journalist for French TV channel France 3, was sexually assaulted on Thursday in central Cairoâ€™s Tahrir Square, Egyptian media reported, APA reports quoting Ria Novosti.

The journalist and her cameraman, Salah Agrabi, were filming in Mohammed Mahmud street when teenagers and adults attacked them.

Sinz and Agrabi were dragged toward Tahrir, where they got separated.

"We were then assaulted by a crowd of men. I was beaten by a group of youngsters and adults who tore my clothes," she told AFP, adding that she was then molested in a way that "would be considered rape."

The humiliation lasted for 45 minutes, after which a group of Egyptians rescued her.

The cameraman was also beaten.

Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy said she was sexually assaulted by police in Cairo.

Reporters Without Borders on Thursday condemned working conditions for journalists covering the new unrest and Egyptâ€™s upcoming elections.

â€œJournalists are now the unwanted witnesses of the armyâ€™s desperate attempts to hold on to power and Reporters Without Borders fears that the abuses against media personnel could worsen,â€ the organization said in a statement on its website.

The attacks on journalists were reported as demonstrators in central Cairo were still calling for an end to military rule. Nearly 40 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured since the start of the clashes on November 19.