Haneen Hossam (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Egypt's general prosecution on Thursday referred detained TikTok influencers Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm, who are well-known for their videos on the video-sharing platform, to criminal trial for violating familial values and principles in Egyptian society and establishing and running online accounts to commit this crime.
According to an official statement, the prosecution's order includes three other defendants who had been involved in both crimes, one of whom is charged with possessing unauthorised and illegal software for the purpose of using it to facilitate committing these crimes.
The defendants are also charged with helping one of the aforementioned girls to abscond from jurisdiction, concealing evidence of crime, and publishing materials to influence public opinion in favour of a party of the lawsuit.
The general prosecution said it is to continue investigations over human trafficking crimes that the aforementioned defendants are charged with.
Eladhm was arrested 14 May after she had attempted to flee her residence at an upscale New Cairo compound, moving around between Cairo and the North Coast on the back of an arrest warrant issued against her over charges of violating Egyptian familial values and principles.
Eladhm, who has 3.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.6 million others on Instagram, became famous for posting lip syncing and dance videos.
Hossam was arrested 21 April on charges including inciting debauchery and human trafficking.
Her arrest comes a few days after she posted a video on TikTok encouraging women to publish live videos and talk with strangers, via short video sharing platform Likee, in exchange for money.
On Monday, Hossam was ordered to be released on EGP 10,000 bail after about a month and a half in custody.
But according to Thursday's order, the 20-year-old influencer has been remanded once again after she was confronted with new evidence, which resulted in examining her seized electronic devices.
The general prosecution said previously that she was caught with three phones and a laptop in her possession.
Hossam, a second-year archaeology student at Cairo University, has 1.2 million followers on the social media app TikTok.
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