A very sad and disgusting story.
Fortunately, the 3 women were not raped, but were sexually assaulted after being kidnapped for a couple of hours from their camp at the Egyptian border. It must feel terrible to have set off from their homes with the noblest of intentions only to be brought to face this nightmare in an entirely Muslim country.
Britons in aid convoy kidnapped and sexually assaulted in Libya | World news | The Guardian
Three women who were part of an aid convoy passing through Libya on the way to Gaza have been sexually assaulted in Benghazi, after a group of five British nationals were briefly kidnapped.
The three women, two of whom are sisters, were part of a large aid convoy travelling to the Gaza Strip. It is thought that they were part of a group of five people who were briefly kidnapped near Benghazi in the early hours of Tuesday and they were released some hours later. The group is currently safe in the Turkish consul in Benghazi and is expected to return to the UK.
Libyan security officials said the attacks happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Abdul Barghathi, commander of preventative security in the Libyan defence ministry, said the women had been sexually assaulted, but not raped. “There was no rape, just touching (sexual assault),” he said. “Because there is no British consulate here they were handed to the Turkish consulate.” The three women are not badly wounded and are being attended to by consular staff from the UK, he added.
The women were part of a large convoy taking vehicles and aid to the Gaza Strip on a journey that had taken them through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and then Libya. It had intended to cross the border with Egypt but was prevented from doing so by Egyptian authorities. The 10-vehicle convoy is still stuck at the border but the five British nationals returned to Benghazi in eastern Libya late on Monday night in order to return home.
The most recent post on the convoy’s Facebook page, written on Saturday, detailed the convoy’s frustration at being held at the Egyptian border.
It read: “We have been here for five days now. Despite harassment & abuse from the Egyptian authorities here, we’re determined more than ever, to persevere in our aim to deliver this aid to Gaza. Well-wishes, prayers & support are appreciated & welcome.”
Turkish authorities in London said two sisters and their father, plus another woman and man, were taken near Benghazi on Tuesday and released. “They are at the Turkish consul and they are safe,” said a spokesman.