An Egyptian man who murdered a girl last year for spitting at him after he sexually harassed her was sentenced to life in prison on Sunday.

Seventeen-year-old Eman Mostafa was headed to her hometown (a small village in Assiut) with a colleague, last September, when she was sexually assaulted, then shot dead for spitting at her harasser. 

The defendant, who was also fined 10 thousand Egyptian pounds as a temporary compensation, was arrested on September 20 - 10 days after the attack - and accused of the deliberate murder and physical assault of the victim.

Attorney Mohamed Bakeer from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights represented the victim in the trial which began on February 17 of this year. 

Non-governmental organizations honored Mostafa last November as the media ignored the case despite its importance.

The Initiative for Personal Rights praised the conviction on Monday, pointing that women and NGOs will continue their efforts to confront sexual violence against women. 

The initiative expressed hopes that the case of Eman Mostafa could encourage the authorities to take up the responsibility of stopping violence against women.