Egyptian Artist Sama Al-Masry Frees From 20 Cases Against Her

Egyptian artist Sama Al-Masry was recently on a TV program in Egypt, her first appearance after getting out of prison. She was in a place for correcting and rehabilitating because of about 20 legal cases against her. These cases were about insulting and defaming others, filed by Mortada Mansour, who used to lead the Egyptian Zamalek Club.

In her TV appearance, Sama Al-Masry thanked Mortada Mansour. She was surprised and grateful because he decided not to go ahead with the cases against her. She said that she had made mistakes, not only against him but many others, including her family. She was in prison for three years and was unsure if she would be able to see her mother again.

There’s also a legal discussion about whether the Court of Cassation, a high court in Egypt, can increase someone’s punishment after an appeal.

Sherine Mahfouz, a lawyer, explained that this court can’t make the punishment worse for someone if the appeal wasn’t started by the Public Prosecution.

This is the authority that handles criminal cases. If the Public Prosecution is okay with the original punishment and doesn’t appeal, the court can’t make it harsher.

But in Sama Al-Masry’s case, the Public Prosecution did appeal. She was initially punished with one year in prison and a fine for charges related to improper behavior and videos on social media.

The Court of Cassation then increased her punishment to two years in prison and a higher fine. Her lawyer, Ashraf Naji, said that this decision is final because it came from the highest court.

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Sama Al-Masry was released from prison after serving two years and paid a fine in a case related to immoral actions. She was also fined in separate cases filed by Mortada Mansour for insulting and defaming him, but she was released from these charges later.

Despite being released in one case, she remained in prison due to other pending cases. Eventually, Mortada Mansour decided to forgive her, ending the legal battles between them.