"Fairmont Crime": investigation opened against several young Egyptians from powerful families

The Fairmont Nile City Hotel, Cairo, in 2020. SAMER ABDALLAH / AFP

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In Egypt, the Attorney General has issued an arrest warrant against several young people from wealthy and powerful families accused of raping a young girl at the Fairmont Nile City hotel in Cairo. The prosecutor also issued a ban on leaving the territory for the accused.

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From our correspondent in CairoAlexandre Buccianti

The defendants have used all means to prevent the opening of a judicial investigation into what in Egypt is called The crime of the Fairmont  " . Pressure, blackmail and even death threats failed to gag the whistleblowers on social networks who defended the raped girl.

A video filmed by the rapists during their misdeeds in 2014 ended up on the internet where it went viral at the end of July.

The support that the rapists had been able to have in high places gradually disintegrated in the face of the storm of social media and then radio and TV.

The Higher Council for Women, a state body, lodged a complaint with the prosecutor who opened an investigation. It remains to be seen whether the arrest warrant will make it possible to apprehend the defendants, several of whom are said to be on the run abroad.

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