Egyptian police accused of 'using rape as weapon' against political dissidents

The Egyptian police have reportedly been accused of rape by two male political dissidents.

The political rebels claim they were raped in Egyptian police custody in separate assaults that campaigners suspect are indicative of a wider strategy as the brutal crackdown on opposition continues, The Guardian reported.

Omar el-Shouekh, 19, was reportedly assaulted by plain clothed police officials inside an east Cairo police station on 24 March, minutes after he was arrested following a student protest.

Shouekh also alleged in a written testimony that he was beaten and given electric shocks.

Meanwhile, Fadi Samir, another man alleged sexual assault at the hands of the Egyptian police and claimed that he was frequently beaten during his subsequent 42-day detention and was groped by a policeman while at a urinal.

Mohamed Lotfy, co-founder of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, an independent rights group, said that it has become more and more common to hear from detainees that they were sexually assaulted or harassed, and it seems that the tactic is being used to humiliate the detainee, and to make them feel powerless, and under the control of the police.

The sexual assault claims comes amid widespread anger at crackdown that saw the arrest of 16,000 Egyptian students, the report added.