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Egypt arrests TikTok creators over alleged moral violations
Egyptian authorities have arrested eight TikTok content creators in less than a week, citing accusations of “indecency,” which human rights defenders describe as vague and part of a wider crackdown primarily targeting women.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the arrested individuals posted videos containing “obscene language” that violated “public morals” and constituted “abuse of social media” in the conservative country.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) called on authorities to “stop prosecuting online creators based on vague moral and social class-based accusations” such as violating “Egyptian family values.”
This wave of arrests follows a complaint filed by 32 lawyers, accompanied by an online smear campaign. Lobna Darwish, EIPR’s gender and human rights officer, described it as “the most significant repression since 2020,” when similar actions targeted young women making TikTok videos deemed “too suggestive.”
Today, the crackdown focuses mainly on women from lower and middle-class backgrounds who have gained visibility and financial independence through social media.
The Egyptian police reported that two influencers admitted to posting videos to grow their audience and earn income, with authorities also investigating “the source of their wealth.” Among the arrested are well-known creators Suzy al-Urduniya, Alia Qamaron, Um Mekka, Um Sajda, and Qamr al-Wekala, as well as male influencers Modahm, Shaker, and Mohamed Abdel Aaty.
The content in question ranges from sketches and lip-sync videos to promotion of affordable cosmetics and everyday life in working-class neighborhoods.