On Saturday, the Cairo Misdemeanors Court has sentenced the Egyptian belly dancer Sama El-Masry to three years in prison and a fine of EGP 300,000 over charges of inciting debauchery and indecency.
The court also decided to put El-Masry under police surveillance for three years.
Notably, Egypt's Public Prosecutor Hamada al-Sawy ordered the arrest of the belly dancer in April amid investigations over lawsuits filled against her by TV host Reham Saeed.
El-Masry faced charges of uploading photos and videos onto her social media accounts without any regard for public decency or morals.
El-Masry's shameful acts violate public morals and are an open invitation to prostitution, the attorney said, adding that she went against the principles and values of Egyptian society.
On 23 April, she was arrested for posting sexually suggestive videos on social media, and had her detention renewed multiple times pending investigation.
The prosecutor-general’s office said earlier it received a number of complaints from citizens over El-Masry’s posts.
El-Masry denied the charges, saying the videos had been taken from her mobile phone which was stolen in June 2019.
What to know about Sama El-Masry
The controversial belly dancer, who had previously released videos online mocking the Muslim Brotherhood group during the one-year rule of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, claimed that members of the outlawed group were the ones who reported her to the prosecution over her political views.
She is a belly dancer and actress who made her name doing commercial movies such as “Ala Wahda W nos” which addressed the exploitation of female media workers, causing controversy in 2011.
She also produced a video where she made fun of former US President Barack Obama in 2013, for which she gained notoriety.
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