Egypt criticised after singers imprison for belly dancing video

 

In the clip, they are seen lip-synching and laughing as the dancer, in a long dress and jacket, performs her moves.

 

The video was a YouTube hit in 2020 and has timed up great many aspects.

But the court in Alexandria found the men convicted of “violating family values” in what is being seen as part of a wider crackdown on artistical expression.

• They were also the accused of profiting from the video starring the ballerina Lordiana, who has become well-known in Egypt for her slinky moves.
• The singers – Hamo Beeka and Omar Kamal – were penalized to a year in penitentiary and fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($540; £435). If they pay the same amount on top as a fee, they can have their jail terms ceased.
• Human Rights Watch says Egypt is increasingly relying on what it calls reviling and ill-defined family values to assert control over social media.

It is calling for cybercrime law articles that it says criminalise free expression to be rejected.

At least a dozen young women acting as social media influencers have been accused of violating the enactment, with courts giving them strong fines and sentences of up to five years in prison.

This is typically optimistic and lively, depicting stories from the daily lives of less well-off Egyptians.

Some mahraganat songs have drawn international concentrate since being used by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab in Moon Knight, a new Marvel series.

However, the state-run Musicians’ Syndicate has banned a number of mahraganat singers,together with Mr Kamal, which prevents them from legally performing in public.

Since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took office, the syndicate has increasingly taken on a role condemn what it considers to be morality infringement.