On May 24th, 2021, the Giza Criminal Court Chamber 22 sentenced the defendants in the rape and defamation case of Menna Abdel Aziz known as “the Tik Tok girl”. This case, in which the victim and survivor presented an issue of accountability, sparked controversy in the previous year. She was detained by the Egyptian authorities in May 2020 after her appearance in a video accusing a young man of “assault and rape”. The bruises were clearly visible on her face. She came back later to deny the video after her subjugation to many pressures, including an arrest for an ethical charge of “incitement to debauchery”. The Public Prosecution has returned this year to evaluate the evidence. Belady values this step to hold perpetrators accountable. We call upon the Egyptian authorities to accelerate the enactment and implementation of a law that eliminates all forms of violence against women in order to break with impunity for attacks against women, in addition to protecting them from forms of imposed pressure when reporting, for example, pressing ethical charges, threats of aggressors, and the psychological pressure of society.
