Egyptian Actress Could Go to Prison for Wearing a Revealing Dress

Egyptian actress Rania Youssef is in legal jeopardy after wearing a revealing dress to the closing-night ceremony of the Cairo Film Festival earlier this week. Following a complaint from a group of Egyptian lawyers, she has been charged with inciting “immorality and promoting vice” as well as committing an obscene act, “inciting debauchery and temptation,” and “spreading vice in ways that violate established norms in Egyptian society,” according to the Telegraph.

Youssef’s trial is scheduled to begin on January 12 and, if convicted, the actress faces up to five years in prison.

According to Samer Al-Atrush, trials of this sort are “fairly common” and “usually stem from complaints by prudish or attention seeking lawyers. In one case author Ahmed Naji was jailed because a complainant said he had heart palpitations when he read a racy passage in an excerpt of Naji’s novel.”

Youssef is well known in Egypt for her roles in “Wahed Saheh,” “Reklam,” and “Aaz Ashab,” among others. A video of her walking the red carpet while wearing the dress in question can be viewed below: