The Daily Telegraph reported on 16 January 2017 that the Egyptian authorities have
dropped charges brought against three men accused of leading a mob attack against Christians in May 2016. The attack occurred after a rumor spread that a Christian man was having an affair with a Muslim woman (the wife of his former business partner). A mob in el-Karam village (300km south of Cairo) burned the homes of several Christians and publically stripped and beat Soad Thabet, the Christian man"s 70 year old mother. As World Watch Monitor also reported in an update on 17 January 2017, the attackers were released due to
"lack of evidence", but the prosecution against Soad"s son for alleged adultery is to continue despite both his and the woman"s insistence that the allegations are untrue.
Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "This report shows the continued lack of accountability for those who attack Christians in Egypt. The humiliation of Soad Thabet was widely reported both in Egypt and internationally and those responsible for the attack were even condemned by clerics at Al-Azhar University. President al-Sisi promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. However, the fact that no one will now be held accountable for such a widely publicized case of persecution against Christians is very disheartening and shows how deeply rooted the culture of impunity in Egypt is for those attacking Christians."
