An Egyptian court has sentenced five young women to two years in prison on Monday for posting “indecent” dance videos on TikTok.
According to public prosecutor’s statement, those involved are 20-year-old student Haneen Hossam, 22-year-old Mawada Eladhm and three others who helped run their social media accounts.
The women were also fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds (about $19,000) each for “violating the values and principles of the Egyptian family,” inciting debauchery and promoting human trafficking, according to a statement from the public prosecutor.
Their lawyers have vowed to appeal the Monday ruling in due time.
Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm rose to fame through TikTok, amassing millions of followers for their short videos which include makeup videos, posing in cars, dancing in kitchens and making funny skits.
However, some of their social media activities are not acceptable in a country like Egypt, where citizens are sentenced for crimes such as “misusing social media,” “disseminating fake news,” or “inciting debauchery and immorality.”
Eladhm’s lawyer, Ahmed el-Bahkeri, confirmed the sentencing, saying the prosecution deemed Eladhm’s photos and videos “disgraceful and insulting.”
Although Egypt remains far more liberal than Gulf Arab states, the Muslim-majority country has swung in a decidedly conservative direction over the past half-century.
Belly dancers, pop divas and social media influencers have faced backlash for violating the norms.
The string of arrests for “moral issues” is more broadly part of a clampdown on personal freedoms that has accelerated since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi came to power in 2013.
A widely circulated online petition described the arrests as a “systematic crackdown that targets low-income women,” and urged authorities to free young women detained in recent months for posting TikTok videos.
