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Egypt FGM trial 'convicts Raslan Fadl of manslaughter' Egypt FGM trial 'convicts doctor of manslaughter'
(about 1 hour later)
An Egyptian doctor has been convicted in a landmark appeal of carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM), a lawyer and campaign group say. An Egyptian doctor has been convicted of the manslaughter of a girl who died after an illegal female genital mutilation procedure, activists say.
Raslan Fadl was fined, and jailed for two years with labour, for manslaughter with a further three months for FGM. His clinic was also closed for a year. Opponents of FGM were dismayed when Raslan Fadl was acquitted in November of charges relating to the death of 13-year-old Suhair al-Bataa.
The doctor had denied carrying out FGM on 13-year-old Suhair al-Bataa. But after an appeal, a court in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura sentenced him to more than two years in prison.
A spokeswoman for the international activist group Equality Now called the decision a "monumental victory". The campaign group Equality Now called the ruling a "monumental victory".
Suhair al-Bataa, who lived in small farming community on the outskirts of the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, died in 2013. Although FGM was banned in Egypt six years ago, it remains widespread.
Prosecutors had argued that she died after being forced to undergo FGM by her father, who also faced trial and was given a suspended sentence on Monday. 'Extreme violence'
In an initial trial both Fadl and the father had been cleared. Suhair al-Bataa, who lived in small farming community on the outskirts of Mansoura, died in 2013.
'First step?' Prosecutors argued that she was forced to undergo FGM by her father.
The practice of FGM was banned in Egypt in 2008 but is still widespread - the country has one of the highest rates of prevalence in the world. Fadl denied carrying out the procedure, saying he had only treated her for warts and that her death had been caused by an allergic reaction to penicillin.
More than 90% of Egyptian women aged under 50 have undergone the procedure, according to government statistics. Both he and Suhair's father were cleared of any wrongdoing at their initial trial. But prosecutors appealed against the verdict and on Monday it was overturned.
Fadl was sentenced to two years in prison for manslaughter and three months for performing the FGM procedure, according to Equality Now. His clinic was also ordered to close for a year.
Suhair's father was meanwhile given a three-month suspended sentence.
The practice of FGM was banned in Egypt in 2008 but the country still has one of the highest rates of prevalence in the world.
Analysis: Orla Guerin, BBC News, Cairo
Activists say justice has finally been done for Suhair al-Bataa and a precedent has been set. "The new sentence will deter doctors from performing this dangerous practice," said Manal Fawzi, who campaigns against FGM in southern Egypt. "The authorities have proven they are not ignoring the problem".
Maybe so, but it took a dogged campaign by local and international campaign groups to ensure a prosecution was brought in this case.
In many areas doctors and untrained backstreet practitioners continue to flout the law banning FGM, though many tend to keep a low profile.
Last year one told us she was carrying out three procedures a week and had a waiting list. She admitted that four people had to restrain each girl, who screamed throughout. Campaigners say that ending the mutilation of young girls is also dependent on persuading families to abandon a long-held tradition, which many believe - wrongly - is a religious duty.
More than 90% of girls and women aged between 15 and 59 in the country have undergone the procedure, according to UN estimates.
Typically it is carried out on girls aged between nine and 13 but there are victims as young as six, anti-FGM campaigners say.Typically it is carried out on girls aged between nine and 13 but there are victims as young as six, anti-FGM campaigners say.
The case against Fadl was the first time a prosecution relating to FGM had been brought to trial.The case against Fadl was the first time a prosecution relating to FGM had been brought to trial.
Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a spokeswoman for Equality Now, called Monday's sentencing "a monumental victory for women and girls in Egypt".Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a spokeswoman for Equality Now, called Monday's sentencing "a monumental victory for women and girls in Egypt".
"The country has shown that it will implement its laws and we hope that this is the first step towards ending this extreme form of violence against women once and for all," she said."The country has shown that it will implement its laws and we hope that this is the first step towards ending this extreme form of violence against women once and for all," she said.
The number of Egyptian girls who died following FGM is unclear, as deaths are commonly recorded as haemorrhages or allergic reactions to penicillin. The number of girls who have died following FGM is unclear, as deaths are commonly recorded as haemorrhages or allergic reactions to antibiotics.
Fadl claimed that Suhair al-Bataa's death had been caused by a penicillin allergy.