{"id":78415,"date":"2026-02-11T18:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/78415\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T18:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:38:11","slug":"debate-over-cairo-bus-harassment-video-rages-after-accused-granted-bail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/78415\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate over Cairo bus harassment video rages after accused granted bail"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman who filmed herself seeking help, after allegedly being harassed by a man on a Cairo bus<\/a>, this week spoke out again as the accused, his lawyers and relatives issued counterclaims, adding a twist to a case that has stoked debate about women\u2019s safety in Egypt.<\/p>\n

Maryam Shawki posted videos clarifying her claims on social media after police released the man she accused from custody on bail of 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $20) on Tuesday. <\/p>\n

Ms Shawki said the man had repeatedly followed and harassed her near her workplace in the week before the incident. <\/p>\n

She said she panicked when she saw him again on the bus, believing he had stalked her, and shouted to attract attention. <\/p>\n

But Ms Shawki admitted she falsely accused the man on the bus of trying to steal money, saying she did so because \u201cno one on the bus was helping\u201d and she hoped to make the other passengers intervene.<\/p>\n

She also thanked authorities for acting quickly in arresting the suspect.<\/p>\n

The Interior Ministry earlier said police acted after seeing videos of the incident on social media, tracked the bus route, and detained the man on Monday evening.<\/p>\n

Ms Shawki’s remarks came as the man’s lawyers released a statement saying that prosecutors had found no wrongdoing on his part. <\/p>\n

He was freed on Tuesday after his bail was paid and appeared in a live-stream from his home that evening to deny any wrongdoing. <\/p>\n

After the man was questioned by prosecutors, his brother told reporters that the family \u201cwill not forego its legal rights\u201d and would file a defamation lawsuit against Ms Shawki. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother is a hardworking, married, respectable man,\u201d the brother said. \u201cEveryone who spread false news should be held accountable. We want compensation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ali Fayez, one of several lawyers representing the accused, held a press conference outside prosecutors\u2019 offices in Cairo on Tuesday evening where he told reporters that the woman’s version of events contained \u201cclear exaggeration and contradictions\u201d. <\/p>\n

He said prosecutors had accepted the defence team’s request for a psychiatric assessment of Ms Shawki. <\/p>\n

Mr Fayez said his team had submitted audio and video evidence \u201cthat contradicts her narrative\u201d and described the online response to her claims as having \u201calready tried and convicted an innocent man\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ms Shawki\u2019s lawyer, Mohamed Helmy, stressed that the bail ruling \u201cdoes not mean the charge was dropped\u201d. <\/p>\n

In a statement posted on various social media channels, he said the decision was a procedural step, not an acquittal, and that investigations remain open while prosecutors collect additional evidence, including CCTV footage from transport cameras and passenger testimony. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe authorities have not closed the case, and the accused could still be charged if evidence supports\u201d his client’s account, Mr Helmy said. <\/p>\n

Solidarity and condemnation<\/p>\n

A talk show appearance on Tuesday by one of the bus passengers in the original video, Badr Hassan, sparked renewed debate. He is seen holding prayer beads and admonishing Ms Shawki while consoling her alleged harasser. <\/p>\n

Mr Hassan claimed the male passenger had been sitting \u201cmore than a metre away\u201d and that \u201cnothing happened\u201d. He said Ms Shawki, whom he described as \u201craising her voice unnecessarily\u201d, had \u201cwronged the young man\u201d. <\/p>\n

His comments drew criticism from women\u2019s rights advocates and social media users, who accused Mr Hassan of perpetuating outdated and misogynistic social attitudes.<\/p>\n

Responding to comments on the bus from her alleged harasser and other passengers about her clothes, Ms Shawki published a photo of what she was wearing at the time \u2013 baggy black trousers and a long-sleeved black sweater \u2013 saying there had been \u201cnothing provocative\u201d about her outfit.<\/p>\n

Supporters reposted the image with messages of solidarity and calls to end the recurring focus on women\u2019s dress. \u201cHarassment is never about clothes,\u201d one user wrote on X, reflecting a sentiment repeated across Egyptian social platforms.<\/p>\n

The controversy has also drawn in local celebrities. <\/p>\n

Hassan Shakoush, a singer of the popular mahraganat music genre, sparked outrage with a TikTok live-stream in which he said that \u201ca respectable girl wouldn\u2019t wear things in her mouth\u201d \u2212 a reference to Ms Shawki\u2019s many lip and ear piercings. <\/p>\n

However, several prominent actors voiced support for Ms Shawki. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will we keep blaming the girl and justifying this barbaric behaviour? Leave us alone. God will judge us. You just lower your gaze,\u201d the actress Nahed El Sebaie posted on Instagram. <\/p>\n

On the same platform, actress Mayan El Sayed wrote, \u201cGod is our witness against all of you\u201d, while fellow film star Jamila Awad shared the message \u201cA harasser is not a man\u201d in her stories.<\/p>\n

Actress and model Tara Emad reposted the accused man\u2019s photo with the message: \u201cShame on every man condoning this \u2013 thank God he was arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rights organisations said the case highlights shortcomings in Egypt\u2019s response to harassment despite tougher laws introduced in 2020 and 2023. <\/p>\n

They said social stigma still discourages victims from reporting incidents unless they become public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A woman who filmed herself seeking help, after allegedly being harassed by a man on a Cairo bus,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[385,1982,1985,1981,1980],"class_list":{"0":"post-78415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-egypt","8":"tag-cairo","9":"tag-egypt","10":"tag-foreign-desk-team","11":"tag-standard","12":"tag-story"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/116053456905330565","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}