An Egyptian TikTok star, Haneen Hossam, has been sentenced to three years in prison after a court convicted her of human trafficking in a retrial. The 20-year-old Cairo University student was accused of exploiting girls for money through video-sharing platforms.
Hossam, who gained over 900,000 followers on TikTok by posting lip-syncing and dancing videos, was first arrested in April 2020. She had invited her female followers to join another platform, Likee, where she said they could earn money by broadcasting live videos.
In July 2020, Cairo's Economic Court convicted Hossam and another TikTok star, Mawada al-Adham, of violating family values, sentencing them to two years in prison. An appeals court acquitted them in January 2021, but prosecutors later introduced the more serious charge of human trafficking.
The women were accused of using girls in acts contrary to Egyptian societal principles for material gain. In June, the Cairo Criminal Court found them guilty, sentencing Hossam in absentia to 10 years and Adham to six years. Hossam was granted a retrial, which concluded on Monday with a three-year sentence and a fine of 200,000 Egyptian pounds (£10,800).
Human rights activists argue that Hossam and at least 11 other female influencers have been prosecuted as part of a crackdown on social media personalities, violating rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and non-discrimination. Mai El-Sadany, director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, tweeted that the verdict criminalises what influencers globally do daily.
