The Hadayeq El-Qobba Misdemeanours Court issued the ruling in the second hearing of the case. The Public Prosecution had referred Ayoub to a criminal trial on charges of publishing false information and misleading claims concerning the minister's personal life and financial integrity on social media.
The court also ordered temporary civil compensation of EGP 50,000 and the confiscation of the defendant’s mobile phone used in the case.
Lawyers representing Zaki told the court that the defendant had made “detailed confessions” to prosecutors. They affirmed that technical evidence confirmed that Ayoub had published inaccurate and defamatory online content that harmed the minister and her family's reputation.
The case was filed under provisions of the Egyptian Penal Code and the 2018 law on combating information technology crimes, which criminalizes the dissemination of false or defamatory content through digital platforms.
During the session, the minister’s defence team highlighted her academic standing as an Egyptologist, noting she had received top international honours from France, Italy, and Japan. They described her career as “a model for future generations rather than a subject of defamation.”
The defence also requested that the court impose the maximum legal penalty on the defendant. They also requested EGP 1 million in civil compensation due to the emotional harm suffered by the minister and her family, and what they considered an affront to Egyptian women at large.
On the other hand, Ayoub’s legal team, led by lawyer Montasser El-Zayat, argued that criminal intent was absent. They added that their client had been acting in his capacity as a rights advocate exercising oversight over public officials.
The case began after Alaa Abed, the minister's legal adviser, filed a complaint earlier accusing Ayoub of posting false allegations and defamatory statements on Facebook targeting Zaki and violating her privacy.
Zaki was a member of parliament, a professor of ancient Egyptian civilization, the head of the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a researcher at the Sorbonne University’s Scientific Research Centre.
She previously served as Egypt’s cultural adviser to Italy and as the former director of the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome.
She is considered a prominent intellectual, cultural, and diplomatic figure in Egypt and the Arab world.
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