Famous Armenian bellydancer Safinaz was acquitted on Monday by the Agouza Misdemeanor Court of charges accusing her of insulting the Egyptian flag during a performance.
The court’s verdict annulled a six month sentence handed to Safinaz for wearing a belly-dancing suit with the colors of the Egyptian flag.
Her defense lawyer accused the owner of the hotel, where the performance occured, of fabricating the charges against his client after the latter objected to paying her and terminated the contract.
In 2014, Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour introduced a law stipulating a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of LE30,000 for insulting the Egyptian flag.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
