A Lebanese tourist accused of “insulting Egypt” on a viral video has been sentenced to 8 years in prison by a Cairo court, Al Jazeera reported.
Mona El-Mazboh, 24, was arrested last month after posting a Facebook video complaining of sexual harassment and poor conditions in Egypt.
Egyptian authorities deemed the comments illegal, and transferred the tourist to jail pending a criminal trial.
El-Mazboh was sentenced with 8 years in prison with hard labor, and ordered to pay a $600 fine, the Egyptian Independent reported.
The profanity-laced video, which has since been removed, included comments that Egypt was a “lowly, dirty country,” and “Egyptian men are pimps and women prostitutes,” Al Jazeera added.
She also called Egypt a “son of a b—- country,” and said she “hopes God sends (Egyptians) someone more oppressive than Sisi,” referring to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The court argued that El-Mazboh deliberately spread “false rumors” that would harm society, and attacked religion and the Egyptian government.
Her attorney argued that she suffered from neurological and psychological disorders, including depression, which impaired her ability to control anger.
El-Mazbouh’s attorney Emad Kamal said he would appeal the sentence.
“Of course, God willing, the verdict will change. With all due respect to the judiciary, this is a severe ruling,” Kamal told Al Jazeera. “It is in the context of the law, but the court was applying the maximum penalty.”
Shortly after the first video went viral, El-Mazboh posted a second video apologizing to “respectable Egyptians” for her comments.
Egyptian rights activists believe the arrest and sentence is an intense crackdown of Internet censorship.
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