The Lebanese tourist Mona Al Mazbouh who was sentenced to eight years in jail after insulting Egypt won an appeal on Sunday. The sentence was overturned, and she will be released soon.
The Heliopolis Appeals court fined her 10,700 Egyptian pounds ($599) and ordered her immediate deportation.
Al Mazbouh was arrested in July as she was leaving Cairo after posting a 10-minute-video on Facebook in which she described her vacation. She mentioned how she was sexually assaulted in Egypt. Al Mazbouh also said that some of her belongings were stolen.
Later, she posted a second video in which she apologized and said that she did not accuse all Egyptians.
The use of social media to broadcast obscene language is punishable by Egyptian law. A court in Cairo found Al Mazboug guilty of spreading false rumors about Egypt and using profanities to describe Egyptians. She was sentenced to 11 years in jail. The court later reduced to the sentence to eight years.
In May, an Egyptian activist named Amal Fathi was arrested after starting a live video in which she criticised the Egyptian government over the human rights conditions of the country. She also accused the authorities of failing to protect women against sexual harassment, according to a source. Fathi is still in custody.
