Cairo airport worker sentenced to three years in prison for photographing woman without consent

Blogger Basma Bishay’s emotional video on social media gathered outpouring of support in the age of Egypt’s #MeToo

An employee at Cairo's international airport was arrested after a woman passenger complained that he took photos of her without her consent. Getty Images

A Cairo court on Thursday sentenced to three years in prison an employee at the Egyptian capital’s international airport for taking photos of a woman without her consent for his own sexual gratification.

The man, who was convicted of breaching the woman’s privacy, was also fined 20,000 pounds ($l,276).

The man's case was referred to a misdemeanor court in Cairo’s Heliopolis district on Wednesday after the outrage caused by an emotional video posted by the woman, Egyptian writer and blogger Basma "Bee" Bishay, describing her ordeal.

The video has been viewed more than 2 million times.

Similar photographs of other female travellers were found on the man’s mobile phone, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Ms Bishay, 28, had returned to Cairo from Beirut on Monday with her husband and another couple when her friend noticed the man taking pictures of her back.

When Ms Bishay confronted the man, he denied taking photos and refused to show her his phone.

She took him to airport security but became frustrated when the men inside the room were unhelpful, and started passing around the phone to see the pictures, Ms Bishay said in the video.

The blogger recorded a tearful video on Facebook and Instagram, saying it was the "hardest video I’ve ever had to make in my life”.

She said a “pervert” had taken a picture of her “back” and pleaded with people to share the post and advise her on what to do.

Ms Bishay accused officers of not doing their job and not protecting her, but hours later posted another video saying the men in the room were neither police officers nor airport security.

The real police officers intervened and interrogated the man before arresting him, she said.

She said she was grateful for their help.

“I just want to say I am really sorry for what I said earlier,” Ms Bishay said.

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Ms Bishay posted a third video on Tuesday, praising the thorough investigation after spending eight hours at public prosecution.

She thanked her social media followers.

“I have never felt more victorious, and it is all because of you. I cannot thank every single one of you enough. I have no words."

Ms Bishay also praised the feminist movement "that has left no girl without support", referring to Egypt’s #MeToo lobby that began last summer with social media accounts exposing sexual predators.

The airport worker said he took pictures of Ms Bishay as part of his duties but his job did not permit him to take any photos, prosecutors said.

He also said he did not know how the photos of other women got on his phone.