Watch: 'I am literally dying', Egypt TikTok influencer Haneen Hossam tells president
Social media star sentenced to 10 years after she was found guilty of human trafficking
Dubai: Egypt’s security services on Tuesday arrested Tik Tok influencer Haneen Hossam to serve her 10-year jail term after being convicted of human trafficking by the Criminal Court, local media reported.
Hossam was sentenced in absentia because she did not show up at the court hearing. A day after the ruling, Hossam shared a video on her social media accounts, appealing to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi to re-verdict her case.
She was weeping and sobbing, seeking help from the President. “Mr. President, your daughter is dying. I swear to God your daughter is dying. I held myself together so I can be able to speak and seek the help of the president and people. What should I do?!”
She added: “I was wronged, and I did not do anything. I am literally dying. Save me. My mother is about to have a stroke after the ruling.”
Hossam said: “I got a judicial ruling of acquittal on the appeal, and I was surprised the next day that I would be presented to court, and I went to the Attorney General’s office, he told me that as long as he’s sitting at the office, there is no acquittal for Haneen Hossam.”
Her lawyer Hani Sameh said Hossam will appeal her sentence handed down by the Cairo court that also fined the 20-year-old Cairo University student 200,000 Egyptian pounds on Sunday for encouraging women to share footage on the video-sharing app in exchange for money.
“We will request restoration of the case proceedings because there are contradictions between the verdict and the merits on which the court’s ruling is based,” said her lawyer Hani Sameh.
“We hope that she can get a reduced jail sentence or an acquittal,” he added.
Hossam, who has about 900,000 followers on TikTok, is among several women who have been accused of inciting debauchery and violating the conservative social values and principles of the Egyptian family.
They were convicted for encouraging young women to broadcast indecent videos and share footage on the video-sharing app in exchange for money.