Egyptian courts sentence six women to prison over TikTok videos
Egyptian courts have handed down multi-year prison sentences to six young women in the past week over TikTok video.
In their rulings, the judges accused the defendants of posting “indecent” dance videos and “violating the values and principles of the Egyptian family.” The women incited “debauchery” and also encouraged human trafficking, according to the prosecution’s statement, which specifically named two of the defendants: Haneen Hossam, a 20-year-old student, and Mawada Eladhm, 22.
As being reported the rulings can still be appealed.
According to the reports, on Monday, five Egyptian female social media influencers including Haneen Hossam were found guilty of violating family values and each was of them was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds (US$18,750).
On Wednesday, TikToker Manar Samy in her early-to-mid twenties was handed a three-year sentence on charges of “inciting debauchery, immorality and stirring up instincts” through her online videos.
The convictions were the first verdicts from a series of at least 9 young women, arrested since April, who are prominent on TikTok in Egypt.
Activists have called out the court rulings as an “outrageous attack on civil liberties’, and many took to social media to register their protest against the verdict.
Fuck “family values” #Egypt:
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) July 29, 2020
– young working class women, charged with “violating family values” and incarcerated for dancing on TikTok
– young wealthy men who drugged women’s drinks, raped & filmed them are free, not charged of “violating family values”#بعد_اذن_الاسرة_المصرية
Egypt really out here arresting girl for posting tiktok content and saying their full names all over the media but when we asked the Egyptian media for help in the ABZ case they said they’re not mentioning his name without an actual case smh https://t.co/YoEpukNu5g
— RwN (@shewonka_) July 30, 2020
Did you know Egypt still runs virginity tests? And that it's chasing down women influencers on #TikTok instead of handling a pandemic? because chastity y'all!#بعد_اذن_الاسرة_المصرية https://t.co/49dqS9XoOn
— auntiepickle (@Nabuels) July 27, 2020
As I prepare to celebrate #EidAlAdha with loved ones & friends, my heart breaks for the thousands detained in Egypt today who are deprived of doing the same–from journalist Solafa Magdy to rights lawyer Mohamed Baqer, to TikTok user Haneen Hossam, to activist Alaa Abdelfattah. pic.twitter.com/NG6s2YONZP
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) July 31, 2020
Five Female TikTok Influencers Jailed In Egypt https://t.co/ulZKmOXe53 pic.twitter.com/0j5nq0N8ms
— Robert ALAI (@RobertAlai) July 28, 2020