File Photo: Pop Singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab as a judge on the Arabic version of The Voice program (Photo: The Voice)
Cairo appeals court acquitted on Tuesday famous Egyptian pop-singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab of charges of "offending Egypt" over statements she made in August 2016 about the existence of the Bilharzia parasite in the Nile River.
Sherine was originally senteneced in absentia to six months in prison in February 2018.
In August 2016, a fan asked the 37-year-old Sherine during a concert in Lebanon to perform her popular 2007 song Mashrebtesh Men Nilha? (Have You Not Drunk from Its Nile?), a patriotic song that extols Egypt's beauty.
The singer jokingly replied, “You will get Bilharzia if you do," adding, "drink Evian instead."
A video of the incident surfaced online and went viral on social media networks in Egypt, sparking controversy and anger from some fans.
The Bilharzia disease is caused by water-borne parasites living in ponds and closed streams in several of Egypt's governorates.
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