CAIRO- Egypt's Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud referred to the criminal court a physician for the death of a 13-year-old girl after performing a female genital mutilation (FGM) on her in the Delta governorate of Menoufia. "Fathiya Ahmed Eweida is temporarily detained for four days and will appear befor in the criminal court. She is charged with the manslaughter of Nermeen el-Hadad in an FGM operation," a statement from Mahmoud's office said. Minister of Family and Population Moushia Khattab had filed a report to the Prosecutor General against Eweida after a hotline service setup for allocated children's assistance had received a phone call about the incident. "It all started when the Childcare Hotline 16000 was informed by an unknown woman that the girl was dead after the FGM operation. Her family buried her without obtaining a permit or death certificate to hide the crime," the Ministry of Family and Population said in a statement. It added that the authorities concerned had investigated the incident, which proved to be a criminal act. Egypt approved a law to ban female circumcision except in cases of "medical necessity" in 2008. Those who practise the procedure are punished by a jail term of three months to two years or a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($190) to 5,000 pounds ($940), according to the legislation, which is part of the Children's Rights Bill. In June 2007, Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Dr Hatem el-Gabali issued a decree, banning all doctors and members of the medical profession from performing the procedure, which can cause death through haemorrhaging and carries risks of infection, urinary tract problems and mental trauma.
