WOMEN’S rights groups gathered on Thursday evening in a 40-minute silence for each hour that Zayna Iman was imprisoned and allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of Greater Manchester Police.

Ms Iman revealed last week that she was drugged and sexually assaulted while in custody in February 2021.

Medical records highlight evidence of sexual injuries and CCTV footage shows she was forcibly stripped by police officers, left naked in a cell and placed face down while appearing to be unconscious.

Other crucial footage of her imprisonment remains missing after the police force said that two hours is on a corrupt disc and may not be recoverable.

Ms Iman is one of three women who have accused the police force of unjustified strip searches.

In January, it was reported that 98 of its officers were being investigated or facing misconduct hearings over alleged sexual offences.

Activists joined Ms Iman outside of the Home Office on Thursday, wearing white in solidarity with all survivors of abuse.

Women’s Equality Party leader Mandu Reid questioned why the issue with the footage was only just revealed while Ms Iman has been fighting for access to it for years.

She said: “This is not an isolated incident. Other women from across the UK have come forward to share their allegations that the police stripped them unnecessarily — sometimes leaving them naked in cells for hours — to punish and degrade them.

“The institutional misogyny which is baked into our police forces is plain to see.

“We see it in the way Zayna was treated. We see it in the conviction of police officer Stephen Hardy who was found guilty of grooming and repeatedly raping a child, using his status as a police officer to protect himself.

“We see it every time there is another story about police officers freely using sexist, racist, homophobic or ableist language in their WhatsApp groups.”

She called on Home Secretary Suella Braverman to take meaningful action as examples of police misconduct grow, saying only a “complete overhaul of policing will suffice.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said yesterday that it has begun an investigation into the claims.

Greater Manchester Police has previously denied any wrongdoing by its staff.