EGYPT: Prosecution releases Somali girl in tuktuk driver killing due to plausibilty of self-defence in rape attempt

By:Ahram

Egypt’s Public Prosecution ordered on Friday the release of a Somali girl pending investigation after police and medical examinations pointed to the plausibility of her argument of self-defence against a rape attempt by slain tuktuk driver.

According to the prosecution, on 17 May, the prosecution received reports that the body of a dead tuktuk driver was found on a street on the outskirts of 6 October city, Giza.

A Somali girl, who is reportedly a 15-year-old refugee, turned herself in at a police station, saying that she stabbed the driver and escaped the scene after he attempted to rape her.

The girl explained to the police that the driver of a tuktuk she had hired drove her to an uninhabited area and attempted to rape her at knife-point. She added that she resisted the attacker and sustained injuries to her fingers before she succeeded in snatching the knife and stabbing him with it before fleeing the scene.

The prosecution said that police and medical investigations showed the girl’s version of events is plausible.

The medical examination confirmed lacerations to the girl’s head and fingers, the prosecution said.

Meanwhile, an autopsy on the driver’s body showed that the cause of death is consistent with the girl’s version of events and with the use of the knife that was found, the prosecution added.

The Somali girl’s story has won widespread sympathy and support from users on Egyptian social media for defending herself after the news went viral, with many calling on prominent lawyers and the National Council for Women to defend her.