Egyptian activist sentenced for anti-harassment video
Amal Fathy has been in prison since she聽posted a video criticising the Egyptian state for not challenging sexual harassment.
Saturday 29 September 2018 17:40, UK
A female human rights activist has been given a suspended two-year jail sentence in Egypt after criticising sexual harassment in the country.
Amal Fathy, 33, was convicted of insulting employees at a bank and using abusive language to criticise state institutions.
She was also fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (about £430).
Ms Fathy has been in prison since she was arrested in May after she posted a video criticising the state for poor public services and not challenging sexual harassment.
The video was a response to sexual harassment she said she had experienced at a local bank branch.
Her lawyer Doaa Mustafa said they would challenge the court's decision.
Meanwhile, the married mother of one will remain in jail as she awaits trial in another case, where she is accused of being a member of an outlawed group and misusing social media networks to spread material that could hurt security and public interest.
Amnesty International said Saturday's verdict was "disgraceful" and that Ms Fathy had been sentenced for "her courage to speak out against sexual harassment".
Sexual harassment is a big problem in Egypt, where around 60% of women experience some form of it during their lives, according to a 2017 report by UN Women and gender equality campaign group Promundo.
Amnesty's North Africa campaigns director Najia Bounaim described Ms Fathy as a "human rights defender and sexual harassment survivor, who told her truth to the world and highlighted the vital issue of women's safety in Egypt".
She said: "This is an outrageous case of injustice, where the survivor is sentenced while the abuser remains at large.
"She is not a criminal and should not be punished for her bravery."
Ms Bounaim added: "It is currently more dangerous to criticise the government in Egypt than at any time in the country's recent history.
"Egyptians living under president al Sisi are treated as criminals simply for peacefully expressing their opinions."
Since leading the 2013 military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, president Abdel Fattah al Sisi has cracked down on dissent.
Pro-democracy advocates have been jailed and restrictions on the media tightened.