Lara Logan Talks About Being Attacked in Cairo
CBS News correspondent Lara Logan describes the brutal sexual assault she suffered in Cairo's Tahrir Square as involving 200 to 300 men who "raped me with their hands." Logan's interview with The New York Times' Brian Stelter is the first time she's spoken about the February 11 assault. During the 40-minute attack, Logan thought she was going to die. "What really struck me was how merciless they were," Logan says. "They really enjoyed my pain and suffering. It incited them to more violence."
RELATED: There Is Very Little in Arabic Media About Lara Logan's Assault
Many journalists are injured while covering war zones, but female reporters face the unique threat of sexual violence, one that's rarely spoken about. Logan wants to change that. She says she feels "fortunate" she didn't have to "carry the burden alone" after CBS News put out a brief statement four days after the attack. "There's a code of silence about it that I think is in Lara's interest and in our interest to break,” Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News, says.
RELATED: Egypt Is Still a Horrifyingly Dangerous Place for Women
As the CBS crew was standing in Tahrir Sqaure, their Egyptian coworkers heard men talking about assaulting Logan. "Our local people with us said, 'We've gotta get out of here.' That was literally the moment the mob set on me," she says. Her coworkers and bodyguard were unable to pull her away. Eventually, Egyptian soldiers and civilians saved her. Logan will talk at greater length about the assault on 60 Minutes. After that, she's done with it. "I don't want this to define me," she says.
