As Egypt Holds Vote, Journalist Mona Eltahawy Recounts Beating, Sexual Assault By Egyptian Forces

Editors note: Very important interview detailing the disintegration of a peaceful Egyptian revolution into a bloody confrontation. This is a slippery road the Occupy movement could easily go down, we're witnessing the same kind of police brutality that appears to be a tool authorities are using to escalate the violence here in America.  Intimidating reporters,  censorship and media repression aren't isolated to foreign countries,  journalists in New York city have been arrested, beaten and had film confiscated while covering Occupy protest events.

 

There's a striking difference in coverage of Occupy Wall St from the mass media and alternative news outlets, with mass media it's one big race towards the bottom of the barrel. It's absolutely shameful how the lack of honest, real information will ultimately be the downfall of America if people don't wake up soon. What's unfolding in Egypt is horrifying, we're fast approaching an Orwellian end game scenario where turning the clock back will be next to impossible....

 

To help people awaken story's like this must be heard by the masses so people understand the truth about what's happening over there, because it's a matter of time before it comes to the US. Mona Eltaway's courage and composure in the aftermath of such physical and psychological trauma, terror and brutality is absolutely incredible.

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Egyptian-American journalist, Mona Eltahawy, was detained for 12 hours by Egypt’s security forces last Wednesday near Cairo’s Tahrir Square, during which time she was brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. She has just returned from Cairo and joins us in our studio. “So many people in Tahrir Square came up to me and would kiss my forehead, they would give me a hug and they would say, ’We’re not going to let them get away.’ They would say, ’We’re going to snatch Egypt back from them.’ I’ve come back with so many messages of love and support from Tahrir. I feel like Tahrir’s spirit is going to help my arms heal even quicker. This is for Egypt. People have lost eyes. People have been killed, people have lost loved ones,” says Eltahawy. “What happened to me is minuscule compared to that. I have a voice in the media — they don’t. So I want to use that voice to get across to the world that our revolution continues.” Today Egypt held its first round of parliamentary elections to elect a new, post-Mubarak government in the wake of fierce clashes between protesters and police that lasted for nine days and left at least 42 people dead and more than 3,000 wounded across the country.

Link to interview with Mona's recount of the brutal beating and sexual assault:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/740232/as_egypt_holds_vote%2C_journalist_mona_eltahawy_recounts_beating%2C_sexual_assault_by_egyptian_forces/