An Egyptian woman called Reda el-Fouly has been arrested by the authorities after appearing in a homemade spoof video that officials have declared "too racy" after it was uploaded to YouTube. She's been detained on charges of "inciting debauchery" and "disrupting morality". The lo-fi video called "Sib Eddi" ("Hands Off") features no actual nudity; just some revealing clothes and some tentative dancing.
The authorities have also ordered the arrest of el-Fouly's boyfriend Wael Elsedeki, who also appears in the video. However, according to reports he fled to Tunisia when the video went viral and sparked outrage online.
This is the second music video in recent weeks that's gotten on the wrong side of African law. Ugandan singer Jemimah Kansiime broke the country's strict anti-pornography laws – she appeared in her video in a foam bikini. She's already spent five weeks in jail and faces up to ten years behind bars if the courts find her guilty of "wilfully and unlawfully producing, trafficking, importing, selling and abetting pornography”.
Kansiime was reportedly arrested on the orders of Uganda's ethics minister, who was horrified by the video. She pleaded not guilty, saying: "my rights have been trampled upon, my freedom of expression has been trampled upon."
Watch "Sib Eddi" below.
