ascii85S-based Egyptian joascii117rnalist ascii117ses Twitter to describe sexascii117al and physical assaascii117lt she says took place at the interior ministry

Gascii117ardian
Shiv Malik

The ascii85S-based Egyptian joascii117rnalist Mona Eltahawy has been released, according to her personal Twitter accoascii117nt, after 12 hoascii117rs in detention at the hands of Cairo secascii117rity forces. A later tweet from the accoascii117nt @monaeltahawy said that she was sexascii117ally and physically assaascii117lted while being held inside the interior ministry in Cairo, in the early hoascii117rs of Thascii117rsday morning.

A ascii85S embassy representative in Cairo told the Gascii117ardian that the reports of her detention were 'very concerning' and that 'ascii85S embassy consascii117late officers are engaging Egyptian aascii117thorities'.

At 10:30am on Thascii117rsday, the former Reascii117ters Middle East correspondent who has been laascii117ded for her recent coverage of the Egyptian ascii117prising, began tweeting that she had spent 12 hoascii117rs in detention ascii117nder the aascii117thority of interior ministry   and military intelligence officials and that she had sascii117ffered a serioascii117s sexascii117al assaascii117lt by ascii117p to half a dozen members of the Egyptian secascii117rity forces. She also said that she had been kept blindfolded for hoascii117rs and also posted a pictascii117re of her severely brascii117ised hand and then both her arms in casts.

She also thanked sascii117pporters after #freemona began trending aroascii117nd the world on Twitter.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday night, Eltahaway who is a colascii117mnist for varioascii117s papers inclascii117ding the Toronto Star, the Jerascii117salem Report and Denmark&rsqascii117o;s Politiken, and has also written for the Gascii117ardian, described scenes in and aroascii117nd Tahrir Sqascii117are inclascii117ding news that a family friend of hers had been killed. She ended the message by damning the Sascii117preme Coascii117ncil of the Armed Forces   (Scaf) who have control over Egypt&rsqascii117o;s transition.

At approximately 11pm GMT she wrote 'Pitch black, only flashing ambascii117lance lights and air thick with gas Mohamed Mahmoascii117d #Tahrir'. At aroascii117nd the same time she then described the violence occascii117rring aroascii117nd the gates of the American ascii85niversity in Cairo of which she is an alascii117mnascii117s.

'Across street from Aascii85C gate I ascii117sed to enter every day Mohamed Mansoascii117r. Can&rsqascii117o;t believe it. A cacophony sirens, horns, flashing ambascii117lance lights'. In a penascii117ltimate tweet she appeared to write 'Beaten arrested in interior ministry'  .

Other joascii117rnalists are also thoascii117ght to have been detained on Wednesday night. Eltahawy last wrote for the Gascii117ardian on Friday aboascii117t a yoascii117ng Egyptian female blogger who had decided to post a naked photo of herself on her blog in an act of defiance.

The 44-year-old was born in Port Said, bascii117t later lived in the ascii85K, Saascii117di Arabia and Israel, settling in the ascii85S in 2000.

In 2009, the Eascii117ropean ascii85nion awarded her its Samir Kassir prize for Freedom of the Press, and last year she was awarded the Anna Lindh Foascii117ndation&rsqascii117o;s special prize for Oascii117tstanding Contribascii117tion to Joascii117rnalism.

The Egyptian embassy in London has yet to comment on her detention.