Egypt sends 13 to trial over sexual attacks in Tahrir Square

A top prosecutor in Egypt has sent at least 13 men to trial for attempted rape and assault of women during public rallies in Cairo's iconic Tahrir square.

According to News24, the country's top prosecutor Hesham Barakat referred 13 men to trial for taking part in at least three separate incidents of sexual assault, including one at the inauguration celebration and one from January 2013. One of the defendants is a minor, aged 14.

The move marks the first implementation of stringent new penalties by the government against increasing sexual violence against Egyptian women.

It comes less than a week following a series of attacks on women during the inauguration of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in Tahrir square.

The men are accused of kidnapping the women, assaulting them, torturing them, robbing them, and attempting to murder and rape them. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the report says.