Group: Egyptian Police Abuse Arrested Transgender Woman

An Egyptian rights group says authorities have abused a transgender woman arrested last week on charges of belonging to a terrorist group, subjecting her to a forced anal exam that amounted to torture and sexual harassment.

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said late on Monday that Malak el-Kashef was forced to have a body cavity search took place at a government hospital the previous day.

The Cairo-based group called for el-Kashef to be released "unconditionally."

El-Kashef was arrested over calls for protests following a Feb. 27 train crash in Cairo that killed at least 25 people. Rights groups said dozens have been arrested over the calls.

Prosecutors ordered her held for 15 days on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist group, a reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.