Female demonstrators were beaten, given electric shocks, strip- searched, threatened with prostitution charges and forced to submit to “virginity tests” while protesting in Cairo.

When these reports were first published, shortly after March 9, Major Amr Imam denied these allegations but did admit to having at least 17 women arrested. However, a Senior General is stepping forward saying these “virginity checks” did happen and they were necessary.

The General, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated the checks were done so that they wouldn’t later claim they had been raped. “We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place, “ the general said. “None of them were virgins.” Some of the female detainees described their experience saying uniform soldiers tied them up, shocked them with stun guns, and forced them to the ground while getting slapped repeatedly.

When they refused to cooperate they were called prostitutes and threatened them with more stun-gun shocks.  However, General Mamdouh Shaheen, a member of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces said the “accusations that we did virginity tests are unacceptable.

We denied it then and we deny it now.” I understand their religion dictates virginity is culturally important but can someone remind Egypt we are not in the Stone Age and to perform such tests is the definition of barbaric.