Natasha Smith, Journalist In Egypt, Details Horrifying Sexual Assault In Cairo's Tahrir Square

On Sunday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered to celebrate the official announcement that Mohammed Morsi would become Egypt's first democratically elected president.

Yet amid the celebration, British journalist Natasha Smith reported that a group of men turned violently against her, committing a horrifying mass sexual assault.

Smith, who went to Tahrir to film the crowd for a documentary on women's rights, documented the ordeal in a blog post on Tuesday. She wrote that "the atmosphere was one of jubilation, excitement, and happiness" as she arrived. But despite the presence of two male friends for protection, Smith was quickly overcome by attackers as the crowd thickened:

Just as I realised I had reached the end of the bridge, I noticed the crowd became thicker, and decided immediately to turn around to avoid Tahrir Square. My friends and I tried to leave. I tried to put my camera back in my rucksack.

But in a split second, everything changed. Men had been groping me for a while, but suddenly, something shifted. I found myself being dragged from my male friend, groped all over, with increasing force and aggression. I screamed. I could see what was happening and I saw that I was powerless to stop it. I couldn’t believe I had got into this situation.

Smith recounted being wrenched away from her friends, possessions, and clothing, trapped naked in the middle of a large group of men as she was assaulted. "All I could see was leering faces, more and more faces sneering and jeering as I was tossed around like fresh meat among starving lions," she wrote.

"I began to think, 'maybe this is just it. Maybe this is how I go, how I die. I’ve had a good life. Whether I live or die, this will all be over soon.'" (...)