Egypt - Reporter Victim of Brutal Sexual Assault in Cairo, FEB 2011

[MLE]

Veteran war correspondent Janine di Giovanni weighs in:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...iro-I-will-never-forget-how-scared-I-was.html

 

[tlcya]

While I think it is terrible what happened to this young woman, she places herself in risky situations all the time as part of her job. That is not meant to imply she had it coming or anything of the sort, just a simple fact. Male and female reporters place themselves at risk all the time when they visit areas of unrest, war arenas, etc. Unfortunately, being female places her more at risk for sexual crimes than her male counterparts particularly when visiting areas where women are still treated or viewed as second class citizens. It is a very real job hazard, but one she faces with eyes wide open.

I wish her well as she recovers from this traumatic experience.

 

[ohiogirl]

I guess I just don't understand the few media people who have come out and said she got what she deserved for being there. When a male reporter is beaten during a situation such as this, do they go on blogs and say they deserved it for being there? Not that I have seen. Good luck to her.

 

[Quiche]

Rape is still an attribute of war and lawlessness in many, many, places. I'm sorry this happened to her, I'm sorry it's ever happened to any woman.

 

[ziggy]

I guess I just don't understand the few media people who have come out and said she got what she deserved for being there. When a male reporter is beaten during a situation such as this, do they go on blogs and say they deserved it for being there? Not that I have seen. Good luck to her.

Well I kind of had that attitude. They know the job is dangerous and they accept that. It is more dangerous for a woman. She didn't get what she deserved as nobody deserves that type of treatment man or woman.

But she reports the news, and now that she IS the news, she wants to be hush hush about the details. Other victims don't always get that right. What happened to that poor minor girl gang raped in Richmond/Oakland CA was known - because if we don't define "sexual assault" then how do we know what really happened. That's a broad term. I'm just saying it could be used in the broad sense to sensationalize the story that's all.

My best to her and her recovery and all of the media people who have been brutalized.

 

[tlcya]

I respect your opinion and views ziggy. I think, however, that her wanting to be hush hush and downplay this issue in the public is a result of her not wanting to become the news and wanting to maintain a professional distance from the unrest going on in that area. I think she is taking that stance so that she can return to this same sort of work without people thinking she is crying foul or wanting special consideration. Because in that sort of job, special consideration just isn't going to happen. I respect her decision to downplay this incident and her (perceived by me) wish to just get on with life, career and the business thereof.

 

[Sonya610]

I think it is safe to say the term "brutal sexual assault" refers to either rape or some other form of sodomy.

Personally I am surprised she agreed to disclose it. It does not seem like it would be good for her career long term. She doesn't want to be the reporter that makes everyone think "oh she was the one that was raped!" Unless the attackers could be caught and she planned to file charges I think she should have kept the whole thing hushed up. Everyone respects a reporter that can take a beating and get right back up and keep working, but rape is another matter, it does not add to the glamorous death defying reporter image.

 

[MLE]

The way CBS worded it, it did sound like a gangrape, but according to someone familiar with the matter, it lasted for 20 to 30 minutes and wasn't a rape. It still must've been a terrifying 20 or 30 minutes because some reports say that people close to Logan say the attack was "horrific."
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/egypt_reporter_lara_logan_endured_SMTA3WyAlqx8o02wYag41K

 

[Melly53]

I think it is safe to say the term "brutal sexual assault" refers to either rape or some other form of sodomy.

Personally I am surprised she agreed to disclose it. It does not seem like it would be good for her career long term. She doesn't want to be the reporter that makes everyone think "oh she was the one that was raped!" Unless the attackers could be caught and she planned to file charges I think she should have kept the whole thing hushed up. Everyone respects a reporter that can take a beating and get right back up and keep working, but rape is another matter, it does not add to the glamorous death defying reporter image.

She was more or less forced to disclose it by rival media outlets who knew about the attack and were ready to release the story. She was able to maintain some control over the situation by releasing the information first.

"CBS went public with the incident only after it became clear that other media outlets were on to it, sources said.
"A call came in from The [Associated Press]" seeking information, a TV-industry source told The Post. "They knew she had been attacked, and they had details. CBS decided to get in front of the story."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/intern...ightmare_pXiUVvhwIDdCrbD95ybD5N#ixzz1EYBn1fDT
​

 

[Missizzy]

Lara Logan speaks about her assault:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecu...5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNsYXJhbG9nYW5icmU-

Lara Logan breaks silence on sexual assault in Egypt

"CBS News correspondent Lara Logan has given her first interview since the sexual assault she suffered on Feb. 11 while covering the revolution in Egypt. "For an extended period of time, they raped me with their hands," Logan told The New York Times' Brian Stelter as she described the trauma of the 40-minute attack. Logan estimates that she was assaulted by as many as 300 men, who were among the crowd in Tahrir Square exulting over the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak...."

and

"...What really struck me was how merciless they were. They really enjoyed my pain and suffering. It incited them to more violence...."

more at link


A more thorough article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/media/29logan.html?src=twr&pagewanted=all

CBS Reporter Recounts a ‘Merciless’ Assault

 

[IWannaKnow]

Thank you for posting that article Missizzy. I have been wondering if she would speak out about it. She is apparently going to do a "60 minutes" segment on the attack. I hope she says more about the role of the women who helped save her. They must have been incredibly brave to rescue her from 200 to 300 crazed men. Bless them. We need to hear more about how women can help other women IMO. We must take back our power. She nailed the nail on the head about carrying your dirty secret around in shame. I hope she becomes a very outspoken advocate for sex crimes against women. That would at least be one good thing to come out of her horrible experience IMHO.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/media/29logan.html?src=twr&pagewanted=all

CBS Reporter Recounts a ‘Merciless’ Assault
By BRIAN STELTER
Published: April 28, 2011

That statement, Ms. Logan said, “didn’t leave me to carry the burden alone, like my dirty little secret, something that I had to be ashamed of.”

Before the assault, Ms. Logan said, she did not know about the levels of harassment and abuse that women in Egypt and other countries regularly experienced. “I would have paid more attention to it if I had had any sense of it,” she said. “When women are harassed and subjected to this in society, they’re denied an equal place in that society. Public spaces don’t belong to them. Men control it. It reaffirms the oppressive role of men in the society.”