Egyptian Police Officer Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Assaulting Sudanese Refugee

Wael Mohamed Ismail, a member of the security patrol force in Egypt, has been sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a Sudanese woman. Mr. Ismail is currently at large and was not present at his court hearings. The verdict cannot be implemented until he is found.

The woman, a Sudanese asylum seeker whose refugee claim has been rejected by the UNHCR, was returning home one night in January of 2007 when her taxi was stopped at a police checkpoint. When asked for identification and residency papers, which she did not have with her, she was told that she would be brought to the police station to verify her identity. She was instead taken to a public garden, where she was sexually assaulted.

The victim was able to note the name of the officer, the license plate of the police car, and the time and place of the assault, and also obtained a sample of her assailants' semen on a tissue. With concrete facts and conclusive forensic evidence, the case against Mr. Ismail was particularly strong.

The Egyptian police force is notorious for its intimidation tactics and abusive treatment of detainees, resulting in court cases brought against them to be very rare and severe sentences such as this even rarer. This ruling sets an important precedent for cases prosecuting the police, as well as for cases defending the rights of refugees.