By Madeleine Anderson
An Egyptian court has arrested five female Tik Tok stars for posting “indecent videos”, apparently invoking immoral behaviour.
The verdict against the women, only two of which have been named, has been widely criticised in an online campaign calling for their release. Justifying the arrests, state owned website al-Ahram explained that the women "are accused of violating the values and principles of Egyptian society and posting indecent photos and videos disturbing public morals.”
Three of the women arrested stand accused of involvement in inappropriate video calls with men. All women have been charged with “debauchery”, a charge used against a variety of offences in Egypt.
The sentences are the first to emerge from the courts, following increased arrests of women with significant followings online. They appear as further evidence of the persecution of women in the country, where 99.3% of women have experienced sexual harassment.
Egypt has tightened its surveillance of social media accounts in recent years, as any account with over 5000 followers can be monitored, amid rising concerns of online threats to national security.
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