Top prosecution: No official reports received regarding harassment accusations against young man

CAIRO – 4 July 2020: Top prosecution released a statement saying that its monitoring unit is taking all measures to consider and inspect what has been circulating on social media regarding accusations against a young man over forcing a number of girls to engage in sexual practice against their will. 

 

The unit will be analyzing the issue and evidence to submit them to the top prosecutor’s office.

 

The prosecution said that it has not received any official complaints or police reports from any woman harmed from the young man called Ahmed Bassam Zaki, except only for one complaint filed by one of the girls submitted on the prosecution’s online website. The girl’s complaint was about threats from Zaki blackmailing her to engage in a sexual practice with him. 

 

The prosecution assured that it has not contacted in person any of the complaining women, and calls upon all media outlets and social media to abide by the facts and statements issued by the prosecution regarding this issue. 

 

The American University in Cairo issued a statement Friday saying that he is no longer a student at the university after he left in 2018, ensuring that it does not tolerate with sexual harassment, and commit to maintaining a safe environment for all members of the university’s society.

 

Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) called on all harmed women to officially report the young man, whom the girls accused of committing multiple sexual assaults and rapes.

 

How did it start?

 

More than 100 girls provided evidence that Ahmed Bassam Zaki has previously harassed them online or in real life.

 

The allegations were made in 2016, when Zaki was studying at the American International School (AIS) in Cairo.

 

In 2018, a girl came forward on the American University in Cairo’s Facebook Group “Rate AUC Professors” claiming Ahmed Bassam Zaki was harassing her and two of her friends, according to Assault Police account on Instagram.

 

Over 50 other girls were shocked and admitted that they had similar uncomfortable experiences with him

 

Ahmed Bassam claimed to suffer personal issues, and announced he would commit suicide in university if girls didn’t stop accusing him. The case fell quiet and he transferred to a university in Spain.

 

Accusations of rape, and pedophile

 

According to the messages shared on the group, one of the victims said that she, her sister and friends were harassed by Zaki, and that she had to go out with him by force saying that “he bullied them the entire time,” and threatened to expose their chats.”

 

“He created fake accounts of girls threatening us as well… he haunted us for three consecutive years. He pops up out of nowhere,” she said.

 

She further explained how he bullied them, “he sexualized everything we said 24/7…kept calling us ugly and easy to obtain…tried to touch us several times.”

 

A PSA alert was put out of his sexual assault of a girl in the American University in Cairo, which triggered several other stories to come out.

 

All testimonies were sent to a person called Shady Noor, who in turn published them to expose Zaki. The published testimonies showed allegations of rape and pedophilia.

 

One of the evidence published said that Zaki was 21, when he “tried to manipulate a 14-year old girl to lose her virginity to him.” The girl said that he started messaging her friends and sister to get back with her.

 

Another testimony was by a man who said that he saw Zaki once in Rehab city inside a car with a girl, and he was forcing her into sexual act, locking the doors and she looked frightened. The man broke the car window, got her out and punched Zaki in the face when he got in their way.

 

One of the victims who spoke up said she was forced to abandon her family, friends and even move to another country because of Zaki’s threats.

 

She explained that he deceived her with his “decent way” in the beginning, before he convinced her to come to his house, and then he raped her. “I tried to scream but nothing came out. When he took what he wanted I saw blood on my clothes, I panicked,” the message read.