As accused harasser in Cairo becomes TV guest, victim continues to get death threats

When a young woman in the Egyptian capital of Cairo filmed her assault on public transport, she expected the video to serve as evidence. Instead, it became ammunition against her. 

In early February 2026, an Egyptian woman documented her harassment and verbal assault inside a Cairo public minibus and posted the footage to her social media account. Within hours, the video spread across platforms, drawing widespread condemnation of the perpetrator and the passive bystanders who watched and, in some cases, laughed without intervening.

But alongside expressions of solidarity, a parallel movement emerged: one that scrutinised the survivor's appearance, her profession as an actress, her choice not to wear a hijab, and her use of makeup, framing these as justifications for what she had experienced.

What followed exposed a fault line running through Egyptian public life, between laws that exist on paper and a culture that struggles to enforce them, and between a press that can amplify justice and one that can obstruct it.

The perpetrator faces charges of verbal assault and using obscene language in a public place with the intent of sexual gratification, according to Mohamed Helmi, the survivor's lawyer.

Under Egyptian law, specifically Law 185 of 2023, which amended Penal Code 58 of 1937 to impose harsher penalties for sexual harassment, these offences carry a prison sentence of six months to three years and a fine of 3,000 to 5,000 Egyptian pounds, or either penalty.

The prosecution has completed its investigation and is awaiting a referral decision to determine the full charges, including whether attempted theft of the survivor's phone, verbal pursuit, and physical intimidation will be added to the indictment.

Lobna Darwish, director of the gender programme at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told The New Arab that she expects the harassment charge to be confirmed and that investigators are examining whether the additional charges will be included.

Darwish reserved particular criticism for the silence of state institutions. "Not a single statement has come from the National Council for Women condemning the incident or supporting the survivor," she told TNA. "Where is the state?"

Media trial

The legal process was not the only proceeding underway.

The day after the perpetrator was released on bail, he appeared on a television programme. Helmi described this to TNA as "tragic" and legally questionable.

"Under the law, pretrial detention is imposed when the accused's release could affect the course of investigations," he said. "His appearance on television the day after his release has no explanation other than to influence the case."

Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation suspended the programme "Al-Ser fi Al-Hadouta". It also barred its host, Sarah Hadi, from appearing on air after she interviewed the harassment suspect on satellite channel Al-Hadath Al-Youm. The council said that it was necessary to prevent media coverage from interfering with the ongoing Public Prosecution investigation.

Iman Auf, head of the women's committee at the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, described hosting the accused as a professional violation. She told TNA that some coverage was deliberately misleading, with outlets publishing fragments of investigative findings, stripped of context, to construct a false narrative.

Among the examples she cited was coverage of the accused's bail release, reported by some outlets without mentioning the bail condition, leaving readers with the impression that he had been fully cleared. A statement from the public bus company denying that the incident occurred on one of its vehicles was republished by several outlets under headlines that implied the assault had never happened.

"Some of the reporting was systematic and misleading, presenting the survivor as a liar, in direct contradiction to the prosecution's own findings, which confirmed the harassment and pursuit took place," Auf told TNA.

She confirmed that the syndicate contacted outlets that violated professional standards, including Al-Wafd newspaper, which published the headline "Does Mariam have a mental illness?" She said the subsequent correction was inadequate. One television programme was suspended by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation following the coverage.

Helmi identified a pattern in what he called professional failures: a fixation on the survivor's personal appearance, profession, and history of filing harassment complaints, while ignoring the passivity of bystanders visible in the video, some of whom were filmed smiling and commenting on the survivor's religion as she called for help, without a single person intervening.

Going public

The consequences for the survivor, identified in Arabic-language reporting as Mariam, have been severe. She lost her job. Journalists pursued her to her home after she stopped answering her phone.

Helmi told TNA that finding new employment will be difficult given the stigma now attached to her name in public searches.

"She documented what happened to her from behind a phone screen," he said. "And then multiple screens turned into platforms of accusation that showed her no mercy, including media outlets that began by accusing her of psychological disturbance."

Lamia Lotfi, a human rights advocate and founder of the Rural Women's Initiative, told TNA that the use of a woman's appearance as justification for harassment is neither new nor accidental.

"We are facing a society that practises victim-blaming in violence cases, especially when the victim belongs to a marginalised group," she said. "On one side, the community supports and sympathises with perpetrators to protect their futures. On the other hand, it creates eligibility conditions for protection. If her appearance does not conform to what the street considers acceptable, she falls outside the circle of those deserving sympathy."

Lotfi warned against what she called the illusion of gains, the belief that legislative progress translates automatically into cultural or judicial change. "We still struggle to secure even partial gains," she said. "Crimes can be reclassified according to prevailing social attitudes."

She called for accessible reporting mechanisms, including hotlines, WhatsApp numbers, and online platforms, as well as mandatory gender-sensitivity training for law enforcement officers.

Data from the Idrak Foundation for Development and Equality's 2024 harassment monitoring report recorded 182 incidents of harassment in public and private spaces across Egypt. Cairo governorate recorded the highest number at 60 cases, followed by Giza with 38 and Qalyubia with 10, collectively comprising Greater Cairo. Streets accounted for the largest share of incidents at 53, followed by 26 in educational institutions and 20 on public transport.

The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate is preparing to issue a professional code of conduct and an editorial charter governing coverage of cases involving women and children, and incidents of violence.

Auf told TNA that the syndicate's head has presented this proposal to the presidential media reform committee, and that the syndicate plans to offer training packages targeting journalists across specialisations, not only those who cover gender issues as a dedicated beat, but reporters working in news and incident coverage, where the gap in gender-sensitivity training is most acute.

"The problem is that training usually reaches journalists who already specialise in gender issues," Auf said. "But the reporters covering crime and incidents, who encounter these stories most often, are being left out."

Helmi echoed the call, urging training in international conventions, domestic law, and gender-sensitive language for journalists covering cases of violence in Egypt.

This story was published in collaboration with Egab.