In Egypt, human rights advocates are condemning the conviction and prison sentences handed last week to six young women over their TikTok videos, which were found to violate so-called family values and public morals. The convictions have also intensified public attention on the case of 17-year-old Menna Abdel Aziz, who in May posted a social media video in which she appeared covered in bruises and revealed she was gang-raped. The teenager was then arrested, alongside the accused men, and accused of “inciting debauchery” and violating “family values.”
In other news from Egypt, over 200 public figures from around the world, including actors and writers, as well as rights groups and cultural organizations, have signed on to a letter calling for the release of political prisoner Sanaa Seif and “all those detained for peacefully exercising their rights.” The 26 year-old activist and film editor was arrested last month. Click here to see an interview with Sanaa Seif’s mother, activist Laila Soueif.