A popular Egyptian belly dancer has been sentenced to 3 years in prison over claims of 'inciting debauchery' on TikTok

• The high-profile Egyptian belly dancer Sama El-Masry has been sentenced to three years in prison over claims of "inciting debauchery and immorality" on social media, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported.
• El-Masry was also fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds, or $18,600.
• The Egyptian celebrity denied the allegations and said the content in question was shared from her stolen phone without her consent.
• El-Masry has said she would appeal the ruling.

Sama El-Masry, a high-profile Egyptian belly dancer, has been sentenced to three years in prison and handed a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds, or $18,600, over claims of "inciting debauchery and immorality" on social media, according to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.

The Egyptian celebrity was detained in April as part of a government crackdown on Instagram and TikTok influencers deemed sexually suggestive.

El-Masry denied the allegations and said the content in question was shared from her phone without consent after it was stolen last year.

صباح الرياضه.....

A post shared by سما المصري (@samaelmasrii) on Apr 20, 2020 at 1:20am PDTApr 20, 2020 at 1:20am PDT

Cairo's Misdemeanours Economic Court deemed Saturday that she had violated family principles and values in Egypt and used her social-media account to commit "immorality," Reuters reported.

"There is a huge difference between freedom and debauchery," John Talaat, a member of parliament who asked for legal action against El-Masry and other female TikTokers, said, according to Reuters.

El-Masry has said she will appeal the ruling.

Several female influencers in Egypt have been accused of "inciting debauchery" since the country introduced a new cybercrime law in 2018 that allowed the government to censor online posts and monitor communication.

Entessar el-Saeed, a women's-rights lawyer who is the head of the Cairo Center for Development and Law, told Reuters: "Our conservative society is struggling with technological changes which have created a completely different environment and mindsets."

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