Content creator jailed for promoting multiple husbands and wives

Cairo: A Cairo court has sentenced a female content creator to one year in prison with labour over social media videos that authorities said promoted polyandry, polygamy and childbirth without recognised parentage.

The Cairo Economic Court handed down the sentence on Saturday after prosecutors accused the woman of using social media to promote what she described as the “benefits” of having multiple husbands or wives and encouraging viewers to adopt those ideas.

Egyptian authorities said the content violated public morals and established social values. 

The case dates to July, when Egypt’s General Department for the Protection of Morals, part of the specialised police sector, detected videos posted through the woman’s social media accounts.

Investigators said the clips discussed polyandry and polygamy and also promoted what Egyptian reports described as “childbirth without attributed parentage”.

Authorities characterised the material as inconsistent with public morals and social values. 

Police arrested the woman after obtaining the necessary legal authorisations. She was identified as a resident of Cairo’s Matariya district.

Officers seized a mobile phone during the arrest and said an examination found videos and other digital material connected to the content under investigation. 

According to the Interior Ministry account cited by Egyptian media, the woman admitted filming and publishing the videos. Investigators said she told them that she had posted the material to increase views and engagement and generate financial returns from her social media accounts. 

Legal proceedings were then initiated and the woman was referred to prosecutors. She was initially ordered detained for four days pending investigation before the case was sent to the Economic Court. 

The videos generated debate on Egyptian social media, particularly over their discussion of marriage, relationships and parentage.

The Economic Court ultimately sentenced the content creator to one year in prison with labour over the charges linked to the material she published online.