Cairo airport worker sentenced to three years in prison for photographing woman without consent

Cairo airport worker sentenced to three years in prison for photographing woman without consent
The airport worker was found in possession of similar photos of other female travellers, prosecutors said.
2 min read
18 June, 2021
An airport worker in Egypt has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking photos of a woman without her consent [Getty]

An airport worker in Egypt has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking photos of a woman without her consent, a Cairo court ruled on Thursday.

The man, who was convicted of breaching a woman’s privacy for "sexual gratification", was also fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,280 US dollars).

He was referred to a misdemeanour court in Cairo on Wednesday, and similar photographs of other female travellers were also discovered his mobile phone, prosecutors said.

An emotional plea recorded by the victim describing the ordeal from Cairo International Airport  went viral earlier this week.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bee Bishay • (@beebishay)

Egyptian writer and blogger Basma "Bee" Bishay, 28, took to her Instagram account to call for help after friends noticed the man taking photographs of her from behind.

In the video, which garnered more than 2.3 million views since it was posted on Monday, a visibly distressed Bishay said she confronted the man but he denied taking photos and refused to show her his phone.

She sought the help of airport security, who took his phone and confirmed there were numerous photographs of her and other female travellers. He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.

"I have never felt more victorious, and it is all because of you. I cannot thank every single one of you enough. I have no words," she said in a video addressing her social media followers on Tuesday.

She also praised the #MeToo movement in Egypt "that has left no girl without support", which has pushed survivors to take to social media to expose their sexual predators.

A United Nations Women report found that 99% of Egyptian women experienced some form of sexual assault.

Activists say women are often hesitant to report their sexual assault or harassment because of fear they would be blamed or face backlash from family.

Recently, Egyptian women have joined forces on social media to call out other men for sexual assault or harassment in Egypt, sparking their own #MeToo movement.