An Egyptian court has sentenced two TikTok women to six to 10 years in prison for human trafficking. The court sentenced 23-year-old Mawda al-Adham to six years in prison and 20-year-old Hanin Hossam to 10 years in prison. A fine of 200,000 Egyptian pounds was also imposed on each of the women.
Accused of raising girls on ‘debauchery.’
Advocate Saber Sokkar, appearing for Adham, said other charges included “mutilation of family values”, “incitement to debauchery”, and “abetment of young women to have sex”. According to local media, the prosecution alleged that TikTok exploited financially disadvantaged people with the lure of money and that they have links with a criminal group. He argued that such allegations fall under the category of human trafficking.
TikTok woman sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
The lawyer told that Adham had appeared in the court for the hearing, while the verdict was pronounced in Hosam’s absence. He said Hossam got a higher sentence for not attending the previous court proceedings. However, both the women can appeal against the court’s decision. Last year, both were arrested and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment to hurt ‘family values’ and ‘beliefs’ in a video posted on Tik Tok.
In a video that garnered 1.3 million subscribers, Hossam asked girls to work for their own money, for which he was also accused of “debauchery” and human trafficking. But in January, the court released both. Adham has three million followers on Tik Tok. It is alleged that he used the platform to share the video of his dance. At the same time, Hosam uploads footage of others using the app to earn money through Tik Tok videos.
I have no words.
Egyptian TikTok bloggers Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham have been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 6 years in prison respectively on “human trafficking” charges–both additionally fined LE 200,000 https://t.co/fh7CMieKT0#بعد_اذن_الاسرة_المصرية pic.twitter.com/wqmztNEWYK
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) June 20, 2021
People protested against the decision.
The court’s decision has sparked widespread outrage. Activists argue that Egypt’s cybercrime law is being used to target working women. Many users, including famous actors and activists, have opposed the decision on Twitter.
