July 17, 2019
Egypt Releases Transgender Woman After 4 Months in Jail
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An Egyptian rights group says authorities have released a transgender woman held for more than four months in connection to a call for protests.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said late Tuesday that Malak el-Kashef was released earlier this week.
El-Kashef was among dozens arrested over calls for demonstrations following a Feb. 27 train crash in Cairo that killed at least 25 people. Prosecutors say they suspect she belongs to an unnamed terrorist group, a reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The rights group says el-Kashef underwent a forced anal exam at a government hospital that amounted to torture and sexual harassment.
Egypt has waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent in recent years, targeting political critics as well as anyone believed to be gay or lesbian.
